Crossing the River
by Marlex
Summary: Set during their travels through Johto, Ash and Misty get into an argument which leaves Ash worried their friendship may be damaged beyond repair. When he discovers she's entered a local beauty pageant, he doesn't know what to think, but his journey to repair their friendship may lead to completely unexpected territory.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes:** This story has been in the works for more than a decade, as I started it around the time I was finishing "Dark Prophecy" back in 2002 as a change of pace from the darker material I had been writing at the time. After a while, however, I shelved it, more for a lack of time than a lack of interest. Every few years I'd return to the story, only to eventually move on to other projects in other fandoms. After I stopped writing in the Pokemon fandom, this story refused to be ignored and I kept finding myself drawn back to it in an attempt to write the rest. Then last year, I decided to finish it once and for all. What was first intended to be a short one-shot, however, has grown significantly and it is now one of the largest works I've ever written, exceeding even "Dark Prophecy" by about 12,000 words. I truly hope you enjoy this story.

**Story Notes:** "Crossing the River" is set somewhere around the end of the third season of the anime while the trio are still in Johto before Misty left to return home, so this is essentially AU for everything that happened in the later seasons. Using the idea that each season is roughly a year in length, Ash and Misty are both 14 and Brock is 17. This story also ignores the "banned" episode "Beauty and the Beach."

Crossing the River

Ash Ketchum stood quietly looking at the trees in front of him as if they would tell him what he needed to know. If they could, they weren't giving him any sign of it. The trees to the left and right were no help either. He sighed. They all looked the same to him. One would have thought that after a year of traveling in the Kanto region, a year in the Orange Islands, and a year in Johto, he would have picked up the ability to read a map. Unfortunately, while his training skills had improved greatly, his map-reading ones hadn't. And even worse for him at the moment, he wasn't the only one who knew it.

"Have you got us lost again, Ash?" Misty Waterflower asked, annoyance seeping into her voice. She had walked up behind him and was now peering over his shoulder at the map.

"No," Ash countered, moving the map so she couldn't see it. Why did she always have to blame him? So what if he had been the one leading them, and the one with the map, and the one who insisted on taking a shortcut.

"Yes, you have," she said, reaching over his shoulder to grab for the map.

"No, I haven't," he said again. He angled his body to block Misty from reaching the map and tried to focus on its lines and symbols to divine some new information about their location. They were on their way to Blossomful City so Ash could compete for the next Johto League badge.

At the moment, however, they were somewhere in the dense forest separating Blossomful from Goldenrod. At some point they managed to misplace the trail, or maybe it lost them, during Ash's shortcut. And now, Misty had apparently decided it was Ash's fault.

"You did," Misty yelled back, continuing their argument. This time she walked around so she was facing him. He turned in the opposite direction, keeping his eyes on the map.

This continued for awhile until the argument degenerated into a rapid-fire exchange of Ash shouting, "Didn't," and Misty returning, "Did," like they were in a children's cartoon.

"That's enough!" Brock Slate shouted, the older teen sounding fed up with the entire situation.

"Pika!" Pikachu jumped between Ash and Misty, tiny sparks shooting from the yellow pokemon's cheeks as he stared back and forth at the arguing friends.

"Ok, 'Mr. I'm Going to Be the Best Pokémon Master Ever,' which way do we go?" Misty asked, crossing her arms.

"That way," Ash said, pointing to the left of the direction they had been heading before he stopped to get his bearings. He tried to sound as confident as he could, as there was nothing but trees in that direction. He was pretty sure it was the way they needed to go.

"Brock?" Misty asked suspiciously.

Ash reluctantly handed Brock the map and the older teen glanced down at it. He looked back up after a moment and said, "I wouldn't have believed it, but it looks like he's right. Hopefully we'll reach Blossomful City within an hour or so."

"I told you," Ash said smugly to Misty, hoping it would keep Misty quiet for a while.

Instead she raised her chin indignantly. "Yeah, well, if you'd had let Brock navigate, we would have been there hours ago. Sooner or later you were going to be right. I guess it had to happen one day, if only out of luck."

"Yeah, well, if you're lucky, one day you might not be so scrawny and so ugly," Ash shot back. Never one to be quick on the comebacks, he was rather proud with himself for one upping Misty for a change. He was proud right up to the moment she walked over to him and slapped him in the face. Her face was full of anger, but what surprised Ash more was the hurt look in her eyes. Without saying another word, Misty turned and walked in the direction Ash had pointed. She didn't bother to see if he and Brock were following her.

"That was a really rotten thing to say, Ash," Brock said softly, watching the red-haired girl stomp off into the distance.

"She started it," he said half-heartedly. He and Misty always argued. It had become almost a game between the two of them. What made this time any different? He'd called her scrawny lots of times. Well, maybe he had never actually used the word ugly before. He hadn't really meant it. Still confused, he followed Brock as they trailed behind Misty. Pikachu quietly jumped back to his shoulder and nuzzled his cheek.

-o-o-o-o-o-

By the time they reached Blossomful just before sundown, Ash was fed up. Misty had ignored all his attempts to talk to her. In fact, she hadn't said a word to him or given any indication that she was listening at all.

Sighing unhappily to himself, Ash turned his attention to the scenery around them. The path they had rediscovered and were now following ended at a small two-laned road and they began walking alongside it toward town. The buildings, which all looked old, had stone fronts and were roofed with red clay shingles. The houses and shops grew closer together and the paved road became a cobblestone street. Soon, only narrow alleyways separated the buildings and the street meandered its way lazily between them. Misty, who was still silent, led the way, following the green street signs pointing the direction to the local pokémon center. Soon, the large red and white building appeared ahead, looking strikingly out of place among the much older architecture surrounding it.

As the three companions entered the pokémon center, Misty went straight through the lobby to the front counter. The interior of the center looked identical to just about every one they had been in before. At the first sight of Nurse Joy, a glazed look came over Brock and he practically floated over to her.

"Oh, Nurse Joy, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen," Brock said. "It is hard to find a woman so dedicated to her work anymore in this crazy world. Would you like to accompany me to dinner?"

Nurse Joy, for her part, looked more confused than annoyed. Misty simply ignored him, which surprised Ash. Lately she had taken to dragging Brock away from his misadventures in romance.

"Can we get two rooms please?" she asked Joy instead.

Hearing this, Ash stopped mid-step. Two rooms? They always rented one room when they stayed at Pokémon centers. It wasn't as if they charged much, but when you were 14 and on the road, every bit counted. He walked up to her. "Why two rooms?"

"Because I felt like it. Is there a problem with that, Ash?" she spat angrily.

Unable to come up with a reply, he only shook his head.

"Good," she said and tossed him one of the keys, not bothering to see if he caught it before turning to head for the stairs.

She took several steps and then stopped, looking at a community calendar board posted on the wall. Several papers were stapled here and there, but Ash couldn't see which one she was reading.

Without thinking, he called over to her, "What you looking at?"

She turned to him and gave him an annoyed look before walking away and disappearing up the stairs.

Ash was about to follow her when Brock, from whom Nurse Joy had finally been able to extract herself, walked up to him.

"Misty still mad?" he asked.

"Yeah," Ash replied glumly. He wasn't sure why it was bothering him so much, but in his mind, he saw Misty's annoyed look and felt his already somber mood drop some more.

"Look up, she'll forgive you someday," Brock said.

"You think?" Ash asked.

"Yep. It might take a month or two, but she'll forgive you." He laughed, but then must have seen something in Ash's expression because he stopped abruptly. "Let's go get settled into our room," he added more soberly.

As they passed the community calendar, Ash made an effort to see what Misty might have been reading. A poster announcing an upcoming fighting type Pokémon exhibition in Goldenrod took up most of the upper half of the board. Below that was a notice for a meeting of the Clefairy Club and a reminder for the annual Blossomful City Beauty Pageant. There were a few hand-written notes offering various pokémon for trade. The only one which stood out to Ash was an index card with an offer of a horsea to a good home, complete with vidphone number. He knew Misty still missed the horsea she left with her sisters, even after all this time, but she wouldn't want a replacement, would she?

Turning away from the board, Ash made his way up the stairs to the second floor, Brock just behind. Flipping over the key in his hand, he saw the plastic keychain read 208. They quickly found the correct room and set down their travel gear. Pikachu hopped onto one of the beds. Ash flopped down next to him and turned on the television. After several cycles through the channels, however, he gave up and turned it off.

"You ready for dinner?" Brock asked him.

"Sure," Ash said, stretching his back to work out the ache that had developed from carrying his pack for the better part of eight hours.

They left the room and Ash thought of inviting Misty, but she didn't tell him her room number and besides, he doubted she would want to join them anyway, at least based on her earlier attitude. The idea did nothing to improve Ash's own mood. Instead, he, Brock and Pikachu shared a mostly silent dinner in the center's cafeteria before returning upstairs.

They were passing room 207 when the door opened and Misty appeared. She saw them and stopped, giving Ash another look that would have probably sliced him in two if it had been possible, before returning to her room and closing the door.

Inside their room, Ash went straight to his bed, even though it was much earlier than he would have normally gone to sleep. He paused just long enough to take off his shoes and was then quickly under the bedsheets. He rolled over to face away from Brock, not wanting to talk about Misty or anything else for that matter. He knew if he was going to be ready for his battle the next day with the Blossomful City gym leader, he was going to need a good night sleep. He doubted he would get one.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The next morning Ash woke up to find himself alone in the room except for Pikachu. He had been right about not getting much rest. Although he fell asleep rather quickly once in bed, he awoke several times through the night and each time it was harder to reclaim his sleep. After grabbing a quick shower, he made his way down to the first floor and found Brock eating in the cafeteria.

"Hey, Ash," Brock said.

Ash picked up several items from the breakfast bar, including a bottle of ketchup for Pikachu and sat down at Brock's table. Pikachu hopped onto a third seat and gladly accepted the ketchup Ash offered him.

"Hey, man," Ash said. "Misty around or is she still sleeping?"

Brock hesitated. "Actually, she came down already, grabbed a quick breakfast and left. She said she had some things to do and not to wait for her."

"Oh," he said. What about his match? Misty had never missed one of his badge battles.

"By the way, after you're done with your battle, do you mind if we go to the city park?" Brock continued. "They're holding a beauty contest here the day after tomorrow and I heard the girls are practicing today. I really, really want to check 'em out."

"Sure Brock," Ash said, although he was admittedly concerned about bringing his friend to a place where so many girls would be, especially without Misty for support.

When he and Brock finished their breakfast, Ash turned to Pikachu, who was trying in vain to get the last drops of ketchup from the bottle. "You ready, Pikachu?" he asked.

"Pika," he responded, and licked the ketchup off the rim of the bottle before jumping onto his shoulder.

"Then let's go," Brock said.

Back in the lobby, Ash checked an oversized map of Blossomful to see where the gym was. He found it in the middle of a large public square to the north of the Pokémon Center. Fortunately, the road they had traveled on to reach the center continued further into town only to dead end right into the square. There was no way he could get lost.

After leaving pokémon center, they turned right and began walking down the sidewalk. The street continued to meander this way and that as they traveled deeper into the town. Evidently it and the buildings on either side had been built long ago before the city grew to the size it was now. Feeling Misty's absence, he found he was not in a rush to reach the gym, so he slowed his pace and examined the shops as they passed. Most were closed. He glanced at his watch and saw it was nine in the morning. Some towns, he decided, just woke up later than others. They did pass a bakery which had its doors wide open, and the aromas of freshly baked bread and pastries beckoned him to enter and sample its wares. With difficulty though, he kept walking even as his stomach noisily reminded him that it did not think dessert was inappropriate after breakfast.

More than food, though, he wanted some time to think about his upcoming match. He had to admit he was more than a little apprehensive. He had grown accustomed to Misty's cheers, and in some cases, her critiques. Well, he decided, there wasn't much he could do about it. Her life didn't revolve around his. He knew that, but it didn't quell his growing uneasiness.

After another ten minutes of walking, the small street opened into the public square. It was about one hundred and fifty yards to a side. Paved walkways criss-crossed the well-groomed park. Several dogwoods and maples dotted the area and numerous park benches provided ample places to sit and enjoy the air. There were few people about, but as it was a weekday Ash guessed most of them were at work.

The splendor of the park was dominated by the enormous pokémon gym at its center. Looking like something out of ancient Greece, the structure was circular and the columns adorning its exterior were of such a scale that they made Ash feel inordinately small. Even the entrance was daunting to look at, with the double doors at least twelve feet in height. Crossing the square, he gazed up with wonder at the building. He had seen many gyms during his travels, but he had to admit that this was by far one of the most impressive yet.

"Wow," Brock said as they drew closer.

"Pika," Pikachu added from Ash's shoulder.

So taken in by its size, Ash didn't notice the sign attached to the doors until he was right in front of it. In large calligraphy, it read, "Closed."

"Closed?" he said. "How can it be closed?"

Below the large letters, the sign continued, "The gym is closed until after the beauty pageant. Sorry for the inconvenience. We will reopen Monday."

"Well, that's just great," Ash said. It was Friday and now he would have wait three three days before he could compete for the badge. What was he going to do now? They could always try for the next town, but that would just mean coming back to Blossomful later.

"Looks like we may be here longer than we thought," Ash said.

"Yeah," Brock replied. His face brightened. "But this means we will be able to stick around and watch the beauty pageant."

Ash felt himself smile despite the disappointments of the day so far. People said he had a one-track mind. Besides, he told himself, it was only three days. It would give him some extra practice time before he had to face the gym leader. Hopefully by then he could patch things up with Misty and she could be with him like usual.

Making their way back to the pokémon center, Ash watched as the town awoke around them. Store owners were opening their shops and soon the smell of baking bread was mingling with the aromas of flowers, spices, and perfumes. The plethora of smells was enough to make Ash's head spin and he was glad to get back to the center. A quick search found no sign of Misty in the cafeteria but he hadn't really expected to find her.

"Still want to go to the park with me," Brock asked when he returned to the lobby. "Nothing else to do."

Ash could have argued the point, but he didn't. He reasoned he better go make sure his friend didn't get himself arrested or killed. Nurse Joy was dutifully behind her desk and he walked over to her.

"Could you tell me where they're holding the beauty pageant practices?" Ash asked.

"Sure," she replied. "Head out the front door, take a right, then take your first right, follow that road for three blocks, take that left, then your second right and you're there. They're holding them in the city park where the have it every year."

Ash just looked at her confusion, trying to keep the rights and lefts straight. "Umm," he started, "could you write that down?"

"No problem," she said with a smile. It was a nice smile, not like the condescending ones Misty usually gave him. Ash wondered momentarily where she was, but Nurse Joy handed him the directions, distracting him from his thoughts.

"Thanks," he said, and held up the written directions to Brock, who gave him a thumbs up.

After two wrong turns and a run in with a rather irate meowth, they managed to find the park. It was a vast open plaza in a shallow area of ground lower than the surrounding city. In ages past it had evidently been home to a large body of water, a much smaller version of which remained at the center of the depression. On the far bank of the small lake was a large wooden theatre. The stage actually extended out over the water a few feet, resting on pilings. A pier or walkway of sorts stuck out even further, almost reaching the center of the lake.

Even from this distance, he could see a teen girl doing something on stage with a small pokemon he couldn't immediately identify.

On their side of the pond about 25 stone risers followed the natural curve of the depression, forming an open amphitheater. Behind it, the slope of the land lessened but still provided a good view of the stage. Several large oaks offered shade to those unable to find seats on the risers. Some 20 people were already seated, watching the practicing girls on stage.

Brock led them to about fifty feet from the risers and sat down, leaning his back against one of the oaks.

"Come on, Ash, pull up some ground and watch the show."

Ash did so, sitting down next to his friend. By now, the girl had left the stage and another replaced her. Now that they were closer, he could see she had dark hair and a vaperon with her. After performing what looked like a dance routine of some kind, she too returned backstage through a small opening in the back wall.

A few moments later, a blond girl walked onto the stage. If Ash had to guess, she was around 16 or 17, but girls had never been his strong suit. He couldn't even understand Misty, let alone strangers. The blond girl performed some tricks with her Squirtle, and then left the stage.

"You see, Ash," Brock explained. "There is a talent portion to see how well the girls train and control their pokémon. Not everyone practices on the stage, deciding not to give out their secrets, or sometimes they'll do a different performance to fake out the competition." He was distracted by the next girl walking out, leaving Ash to wonder how Brock learned so much about this sort of thing. "Mostly this practice is for girls who are new to competition and want to get rid of some of their jitters."

The audience cheered as the girl on stage finished her routine and Brock joined in enthusiastically. Ash clapped more to be polite that for anything else. "And don't forget there's the evening gown and swimsuit parades," Brock continued. The girl-struck teen's eyes glazed over again and Ash shifted over to give the two some distance.

The process repeated many times as different girls practiced their tricks and showcases. Each time they were met with polite applause. Despite himself, Ash was beginning to feel boredom set in. It wasn't to say he wasn't interested in girls. Like most 14-year-old boys in the world, he was slowly learning about the fairer sex. He just didn't have the stamina for the whole thing like Brock did. He wondered if he would when he was Brock's age, but shuddered at the thought.

Some of the girls had music to accompany their practices. The park must have speakers hidden all around the valley, Ash thought absentmindedly. Another blond appeared on stage followed by her Persian. Soon she was done as well and left the stage.

This time a redhead walked onto stage. Ash's first thought was the girl looked a lot like Misty. After staring for another moment, he realized with a shock that it was Misty.

"Misty?" Brock asked from beside him, but Ash couldn't decide if he was asking him or the figure onstage.

"Did you know about this?" Ash asked, glancing back and forth from the stage and Brock.

Brock turned to him, a confused look on his face. "I had no idea."

It had to be a mistake, Ash tried to tell himself. As if to prove him wrong yet again, however, Misty stubbornly remained onstage, her faithful Staryu in tow. Ash felt himself becoming nervous, although he couldn't immediately understand why. Some primal part of him didn't want Misty to know they were here. The odds of her recognizing them in the crowd from this distance were beyond remote, but then he thought back to the night before when she had shut the door to her room as they passed, and decided it was imperative that he get out of the park without Misty seeing him.

"Come on, Brock," he said urgently, tugging on the sleeve of his friend's shirt.

"What's wrong?" Brock asked, turning his attention away from the stage and Misty.

"I just want to go, ok?" Ash said and stood up to emphasize his point.

"Fine," Brock replied. He also stood up, but didn't appear to be in nearly the hurry Ash was.

As they were leaving, Ash risked a glance back and saw Misty busy finishing her routine. Even so, he didn't slow down until he and Brock were safely out of the park and into the city streets. Neither said a word to the other as they made their way back to the pokémon center, this time with only one wrong turn and no misadventures with stray meowths.

"So," Brock said as they entered their room. "What do you want to do now?"

"I don't care," Ash said. "Let's see what's on TV." He glanced at his watch, surprised to see that he and Brock had spent several hours at the park. Lying on the bed, he grabbed the remote off the nightstand. Flipping through the channels, he finally stopped on a movie he liked but hadn't seen in several years. Brock, evidently deciding that Ash didn't want to do anything else, sat down on his bed and began to read the latest issue of Pokémon Breeder Monthly.

Ash found it hard to concentrate on the movie. He kept thinking about Misty and the beauty pageant. What did it mean? Why didn't she tell him? Was she really that mad at him? It bothered him more than he cared to admit.

After some time, the movie ended and another began, but Ash hardly noticed. Brock got up from his bed and stretched before asking if he wanted to grab a late lunch. Ash declined.

"You sure?" Brock said, giving him a look that bordered on concern.

"Yeah, I'm just not hungry." That much was true at least.

"Ok."

Ash looked over at Pikachu, who was still watching the television. "You want to go buddy? I know you're probably hungry."

"Pika," Pikachu said, shaking his head.

"Come, Pikachu," Ash said. "I'm fine, I just want to rest. You go on."

"Pika?"

"Go on."

Finally, the yellow pokémon nodded and followed Brock out the door. Ash settled down and tried to see where he was in the movie. Soon, however, he lost track again.

Sometime later he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. They stopped and Ash heard the door to Misty's room open and then close. He glanced at the clock on the nightstand and saw that it was a little after six in the evening. He must have fallen asleep.

Ash knew he needed to talk to her, so he turned off the television and sat up. Doing so, he noticed his reflection in the large wall mirror. His clothes were mussed from lying in the bed and his hair was in even more disarray than usual. Almost instinctively he tried to straighten his hair, mostly failing in the attempt. He sighed and left the room.

Ash walked quietly to the next door and once again a wave of nervousness overcame him. Steeling himself, he knocked softly on the door.

"Who is it?" Misty's voice asked through the door.

"It's me," Ash replied.

There was a pause and then the door opened. Misty looked exhausted. "Hello, Ash," she said.

At least she was talking to him again. "Hey," he said. He knew he should say more, but every time he tried to think of something, the words seemed to slip away before he could voice them.

"What do you want?" she asked. The anger from the night before was gone, but there was an almost formal manner to her words that might have been even worse.

"Nothing really," he said, her attitude making him lose track of his thoughts again. Finally, he added, "How was your day? You were gone before I woke up this morning."

"Oh, nothing much," she said in that same indifferent tone. "Just walked around the town some. How was your battle?"

If Ash hadn't known where she really was that morning, he would never have known she was lying. "It didn't happen," he answered. "The gym was closed because the gym leader is competing in the beauty contest they're holding here the day after tomorrow." He mentally kicked himself for bringing up the beauty pageant.

Misty, for her part, looked surprised. "I didn't know Candy closed her gym for it. Figures." Ash saw that she instantly became nervous. He knew that she knew that she wasn't supposed to know who this Candy person was. "Um, I'm sorry to hear that," she added cautiously.

"Don't worry about it. I'll just battle her Monday."

"That's good," she said. "So what did you do instead?"

He thought of a few lies to tell, but then decided to tell the truth. "Brock and I went to the park."

"You did?" she asked, a little too loud and much too fast.

"Yeah." Ash wasn't sure why he was pushing the issue or even mentioned the park after having been so desperate earlier to ensure she didn't see him there. He was upset over Misty lying to him, however, and felt the growing anger drive him onward. "You know Brock. As soon as he heard a bunch of beauty pageant contestants were practicing there, he had to go."

"I guess…" she trailed off, not meeting his eyes. Her face was no longer the impassive mask it had been moments earlier.

"Yeah," he said with a firmness he hadn't intended.

"So why didn't you say so in the beginning?" she asked, heat now flowing into her words as well.

"Well, I didn't know you were going to lie about it," Ash replied, his anger now fully kindled. Part of him tried to shout that this was how all of their arguments started, including the one in the forest the day before, but he quickly pushed that voice aside.

"Are you spying on me now?" Misty asked. "Can't I do anything by myself with you hanging around?"

"I didn't know you were going to be there. Brock wanted to go and I mostly went to keep him out of trouble. I didn't know you were involved until you walked out onstage."

Misty didn't say anything, but the anger in her eyes didn't diminish.

A sudden thought came to him, extinguishing the fire in him as if sometime had poured cold water over his head. "Misty, does this have anything to do with what I said to you yesterday?" he asked.

"No it doesn't Ash," she seethed. "But thanks for reminding me why I was mad at you in the first place." She turned to go back into her room, but stopped. Facing him, she shouted, "You know Ash, not everything in this world revolves around you. Just maybe I wanted to do something other than traipsing through the woods watching you battle after battle. Maybe I'd like a life of my own for a change."

Ash was taken aback by her outburst. "Misty," he started, but she interrupted him.

"No! I don't want to talk to you anymore. Just go away. I have to get ready for practice tomorrow and I can't do that with you hanging around."

Had this been another day, he may have replied with something like, "Why bother, you're going to lose anyway?" or, "What type of contest is this? Miss Scrawny?" But he didn't say anything at all. Instead he just stood there and let her slam the door in his face so hard he felt the resulting whoosh of air. After a moment, he walked down the hall to his room, opened the door, and quietly shut it behind him before laying back on his bed.

Many things passed through his head, but he was too upset to make much sense of it. He was mad at Misty. He was mad at himself for making Misty mad at him again. She started it, he tried to tell himself, but it didn't sound convincing. Giving up, he tried to think of something else. He attempted to concentrate on the strategy he would use when he was finally able to face the gym leader, but every time he tried he just saw Misty's angry face.

For how long he lay there, he didn't know. After sleeping through most of the afternoon, he wasn't tired at all, so he simply stared at the ceiling. Sometime later, Brock and Pikachu returned.

"Hey man," Brock said. "Sorry we were gone so long, but this town has some great breeder shops." Ash heard him pause. "Oh, sorry," Brock said softer. "Didn't know you were asleep."

Ash pretended not to notice. After a few minutes he opened his eyes slightly and saw his friend reading a book.

Pikachu, sensing he was not asleep, jumped onto the bed and said, "Pika, pikapi."

"Quit it, Pikachu," Brock said, "let him sleep."

Ash felt the pokémon move across the bed and curl up to rest. Although he felt guilty for ignoring his friends, he just couldn't stand the idea of talking to anyone at the moment. Instead he tried to forget the hunger that was beginning to set in. He had had very little to eat during the day, and by now he had missed lunch and dinner, but still he did not stir. Finally, after what felt like ages, Brock shut off the light and climbed into his own bed.

As the darkness settled in Ash tried again to fall asleep. No matter what he tried, however, he couldn't. He kept thinking about Misty. She had never been this mad at him before. He sighed. Why was he even worried anyway? But he knew why. She was his friend, even if it had never been a normal relationship between them as far as friends went.

When he first met her, Misty was an overbearing, annoying, loud, and sometimes violent person to be around. But as time passed and they continued to travel together, they became friends. Good friends, even. Best friends. It had been more than three years since Misty fished him out of that cold stream on the first day of his journey. They had both been eleven. She was only four months older than he was, but that never stopped her from rubbing it in.

When he was younger back in Pallet, playing alongside Gary, girls had always been from that icky other world of dolls, barrettes, and playing house. But then Misty had come along. She didn't act like the girls he knew in Pallet. She was often accused of being a tomboy, a fact that Ash used on occasion during their frequent arguments.

That really was the problem. They argued so much. They would get mad at each other, not caring or even remembering by the end what had started it. It all came back to that, didn't it? He really felt bad about hurting her. It didn't matter that he hadn't meant it. "Maybe I'd like a life of my own for a change," she said. As he thought about it, he realized part of him was afraid she was so mad that she'd leave. Leave for good.

And it was with that thought ringing in his head that the fog of sleep finally took over.


	2. Chapter 2

Ash woke up groggy. He spent most of the night tossing and turning, proving that sleeping away much of the previous day hadn't been a great idea. Slowly he pushed off the bed sheets and sat up, swinging his legs off the side of the bed. Rubbing his eyes he looked around the room. Brock and Pikachu were gone. The alarm clock told him it was just after nine. Ash stumbled to the bathroom and, by the time he showered and changed clothes, he was feeling a little more refreshed.

Grabbing his trusty hat off the end table, he turned out the lights and left the room. He found Brock, Pikachu, and, to his surprise, Togepi in the cafeteria. The teen was reading a newspaper and Pikachu was nursing a half-empty bottle of ketchup. Ash grabbed some eggs and toast from the buffet line and walked over to their table.

"Pika," said the small pokémon as he saw him approach.

Brock folded his newspaper and looked up at him. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah," Ash lied. As soon as he sat down, however, his stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten in more than twenty-four hours. He didn't need a second notice and started shoveling food.

Brock chuckled. "I guess you are. So what are your plans for today?"

Ash paused. "Not sure. Probably just walk around town." He looked at egg pokémon next to Pikachu. "Why is Togepi here?"

"Misty asked me to watch him. She said she had a lot to do today."

"Oh," he said quietly. Three bites later he felt Brock continuing to stare at him.

"Are you sure you're ok?" his friend asked. "You were pretty wigged out about Misty. You talk to her yet?"

The question brought everything from the previous day back in a flood. His appetite quickly fled and he looked back at Brock. "Yeah." He hesitated. "We got into another fight."

Brock sighed. "You two never cease to amaze me. You're hopeless."

"I didn't do anything," Ash said defensively. "She was still mad from the day before. And then she thought I'd been spying on her when she found out I saw her at the park. That doesn't even touch the fact that she lied to me at first about even being in the pageant."

"Whoa, I believe you," Brock said. "On the other hand, it was a pretty rotten thing you said yesterday."

"I know," Ash said quietly.

Brock apparently saw something in his expression, and changed his tone. "Don't worry Ash. It'll work itself out in the end."

"Maybe," he said, remembering how angry Misty had been in the hallway. Once again her words, "Maybe I'd like a life of my own for a change," barged their way into his head. He stared at his plate, using his fork to shape his eggs into a crude version of Pikachu.

Glancing back up at his friend he said, "Brock, do you think Misty likes following me around?"

"Ash, she's your friend."

"Yeah, but we rarely ever do anything that she wants to do. It's always about me. Don't you think she'll get sick of it?"

"This is really getting to you," Brock said, concern in his eyes.

"Yeah." He took a breath, "I think she hates me." He looked back down at his plate.

"Ash," Brock said forcefully. "Ash, look at me. I know for a fact that she doesn't hate you. You're too good of friends to let a silly fight come between you."

"Really?" He was far from convinced, but after the rotten day he experienced, he was ready to latch onto any hope that things would return to normal.

"Yes, but if you're this upset, you really need to talk to her."

"I tried that and it only made things worse," he said.

Brock didn't answer at first. Instead he fed Togepi some special pokémon food he had concocted. After a moment, he turned from the egg-shaped pokémon to Ash. His face was serious, more so that Ash was used to seeing. "Then you're just going to have to apologize to her," he said finally.

"How?" Ash asked. "She won't listen to me."

Again Brock paused before answering. This time the serious face was gone, however, replaced by a broad smile. "Don't worry. I have faith you'll figure something out."

Although Ash was still worried, he had to admit Brock had cheered him up. "Thanks man."

"No problem. What are friends for, huh? Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah," Ash said. It wasn't a total lie this time.

"Good. Look, I was planning on checking out some more pokémon breeder shops I heard about yesterday. What to come with?"

"No thanks. I'm just going to walk around and try to clear my head."

"Ok. Just don't clear too much. Leave some brains in there." He stood up and picked up his tray.

"Har har," Ash said sarcastically.

Brock raised a hand in mock defense and laughed. He returned and picked up Togepi. The tiny pokémon purred when he did. "I'll see you around." He turned and walked toward the exit. He glanced back and said, "Seriously Ash, you'll work things out with Misty. I'm sure of it."

"Thanks," he replied, feeling good enough to smile again. "Later," he called as Brock disappeared from view. He had to remind himself sometimes how lucky he was to have friends like Misty and Brock. The thought made him even more determined to patch up everything with Misty.

"Ka," Pikachu said, barely looking up from its now empty bottle.

Ash looked to his small friend. "Well buddy, you about ready?"

"Pika," he replied, handing him the bottle. Ash placed it on the tray and Pikachu jumped to his shoulder. He threw away their trash and then walked back to the lobby. Nurse Joy gave him a polite wave as he left the building. He turned right, following the route he took the day before.

The sun was shining brightly in the sky and the street was busy with people walking this way and that. He passed kids, teenagers, couples, and several old men talking quietly among themselves. As he walked he caught snippets of conversation. It seemed the topic on most people's minds was the beauty pageant. A group of teenage boys passed, making several rude comments about the participants. A woman pushing a baby carriage remarked to the woman next to her that she thought somebody named Candy would win again. The name sounded familiar to Ash, be couldn't remember why. A man in a suit and tie commented to his friend about the economic impact the pageant would have on the city.

Not knowing where else to go, Ash kept walking until he reached the square and the gym. He tried to ignore the swelling of annoyance he felt toward the unknown gym leader for closing the facility for something as trivial as a beauty pageant. Taking his eyes off the gym's grand architecture, he started walking along the park's various paths, passing several older men tossing bread crumbs to flocks of pidgeys.

Deciding he should try to work on some strategies for the upcoming battle, he took a seat on one of the empty benches, Pikachu hopping up next to him and curling into a ball to rest. Although the pokémon looked asleep, Ash could see his eyes were watching a nearby group of pidgeys as they fought over the few remaining breadcrumbs one of the men had tossed on the path as he left the park.

Some time later, a mother leading a young boy by the hand walked past them, the boy staring intently at Pikachu. He yanked at his mother's arm and she stopped, finally acquiescing to letting him get a closer look.

Ash smiled at the mother and she gave him an embarrassed look as her son continued to lead her closer. Ash nudged Pikachu, who by now was actually asleep, and the pokémon woke up groggily. Seeing that he had an audience, however, Pikachu quickly recovered and allowed Ash to lead him through a few tricks. After each one, the boy practically screamed with joy and clapped his hands.

The boy reminded Ash of himself when he was that age, always begging his mother to take him to Professor Oak's or some nearby exhibition.

Finally, the mother had enough and after urging her son to thank Ash and Pikachu, she dragged him down the path toward whatever had been their original destination. Ash scratched Pikachu on the head. Checking his watch, he decided it was time to move on, so they left their bench, disturbing the flocks of pidgeys in the process, and began walking back toward the center.

He reached the bakery and was once again enticed to look at its wares showcased in the window. The shelves on display were filled with cupcakes, donuts, bear claws, Danishes, and cookies. In addition to the usual flavors of cookies, an entire shelf was filled with sugar cookies in various pokémon designs. He saw a pikachu, a charizard, a squirtle, and many more. He chuckled at the psyduck, thinking Misty would get a kick out of "eating" her perpetually annoying pokémon. His smile fell as he remembered how mad she currently was at him.

Ash turned away from the window. He didn't want to go back to the pokemon center and spend another day staring at the ceiling. Instead, he decided to leave the main road and saw a side street opposite the bakery leading away. It had far fewer people and the quiet would give him a chance to think. He didn't know where it went, but he figured it was as good a place to go as any. He soon left the noise and people behind. As he walked he thought about what he could say to Misty. He had never been good at apologizing, and Misty didn't make it any easier. While talking with Brock, he had been confident a solution would present itself, but the more he dwelled on it, the more apprehensive he became.

As if she knew he was thinking about her, Misty's voice broke the surrounding silence, startling him. "What's your problem?" she shouted.

Ash looked around. So lost in thought, he hadn't realized how much his surroundings had changed. What had started as a narrow street flanked by tall buildings built very close to each other had widened out and the buildings were further from the road, allowing them tiny yards. The buildings themselves were two or three stories tall and looked several hundred years old, sporting small signs advertising law offices, accounting firms, and other such services. Just ahead was a cross street, and beyond it on the right was a small café. Between the street and the cafe was a fenced courtyard with numerous round tables.

Misty was sitting at a table just inside the fence at the corner facing away from him. Three girls, who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen, were standing on the sidewalk, hands on the fence between them and Misty. The courtyard was empty except for her. It took Ash a moment to realize that Misty had been shouting at them and not him.

"You're our problem," said one of the girls, a blond who appeared to be the leader. She was tall and very slender, her hair reaching halfway down her back. She was the sort that Brock would have instantly swooned over, but even at a distance Ash could see that her face was filled with anger and aloofness.

"What did I do to you, Candy?" Misty asked, sounding unsure of herself.

"Every year we get more and more people like you entering the Blossomful City Beauty Pageant. In case you missed that part, it's a beauty pageant," Candy said, making sure to sound out each syllable at the end as if she were talking to a small child.

"Yeah," one of the other girls said. She was shorter than Candy and had light brown, shoulder-length hair. "You don't qualify."

"I keep telling them," Candy continued. "They need to be more selective in who they let enter. They forget that the losers reflect on the winner. As you probably know, I've won this pageant for the last three years. We have to keep some standards if I'm going to have a shot at Miss Johto this year."

"Why don't you go enter Miss Scrawny or something?" the brown-haired girl asked.

"What are you talking about?" Candy asked sarcastically. "She couldn't even win that." The trio broke out into laughter.

Ash couldn't help but think of the many times he'd called Misty scrawny. Did it really sound that bad when he had said it? He expected Misty to fire back any second with a verbal barrage sending the three girls packing. Instead, however, she lowered her head and stared at her hands, just sitting there taking their abuse.

"Pika," Pikachu said beside him, sparks shooting from its cheeks as it charged up in anger. As far as Ash could tell, no one had noticed their presence yet.

"How about Miss Ugly then?" the third girl asked.

Hearing the world "ugly" spoken with such disdain, something inside Ash snapped. He didn't realize he was moving until he had already reached the fence. "Why don't you just leave her alone?" he shouted.

Ash couldn't tell who was more surprised at his outburst-the three girls, Misty, or himself. Misty looked back at him, but quickly lowered her head again.

Candy recovered quickly. "Who are you, her boyfriend?" she demanded.

"I'm not her boyfriend," Ash said reflexively, sending the girls into chuckles. He continued, ignoring them, "I'm her friend, and there's no way I'm going to let you say those thing about her."

"Pika! Pikachupi! Ka!"

Candy looked at him and then at Pikcahu, her face full of contempt. "Come on girls," she said to the others. "The riff-raff around here is starting to multiply." Before Ash could say anything, the trio turned and walked down the street in the opposite direction from which he had come. He stared at the girls, trying and failing to find some parting words to shout at them. He was just too angry to think to think clearly.

Ash turned back to Misty. Her head was down so he couldn't see her face, but her body was shaking with raspy sobs. Apparently now that the girls had left, she couldn't keep her emotions in check any longer. He glanced back the retreating girls, unable to remember ever being so angry at someone.

Shaking himself out of his rage, Ash rushed to the courtyard's gate, opening it fast enough to send it slamming back against the fence. Ignoring the gate as it began to swing closed again, he continued on to Misty's table.

"Misty," Ash started, but couldn't think of anything else to say. He had raced to be by her side, but now that he was here, he wasn't sure what to do next. He had never seen her like this. She was always so strong-willed and sure of herself. He had to admit that it got on his nerves on numerous occasions, but seeing her crying now made him feel as if the whole world had fallen off its axis. He moved one of the table's chairs next to her and sat down.

"Misty," he said again, and again could not find the words to follow. He felt lost and upset that he couldn't help her.

"What are you doing here Ash?" she said suddenly, her voice barely audible.

"Well, I got lost," he said, trying to lighten the mood. It worked, somewhat. Misty chuckled and he was heartened for a moment before her voice broke and she was once again lost in sobs.

The feeling of despair in Ash only grew. He had no idea how to properly comfort someone. To see his friend like this made him feel like crying himself. When he was younger back in Pallet Town, Gary had been exceptionally adept at finding just the right words to send Ash running back home in tears. There, his mother would hold him tight and reassure him that everything would be alright. He remembered how soothing it was to know someone cared for you.

Ash glanced at Misty and realized he might have found his answer. He could only see the top of her head and noticed absently her hair was starting to fall out of its ponytail. Slowly, he raised his arms and placed them around her shoulders. She recoiled slightly at first to his touch, and he almost pulled back. He forced himself to stay put, however, not knowing what else to do. In a sudden rush, Misty leaned forward and her face buried itself into his chest. He tightened his grip and sat there for several moments, not saying a word, just letting her vent her emotions. He found himself slowly stroking her back, not sure when he had started. It felt like the right thing to do, however, and he continued. He didn't know if he was helping, but he was glad to be doing something.

Over Misty's shoulder Ash saw a waitress walk out from the café and into the courtyard. The woman stopped when she noticed Misty crying. She looked uncertain, and took a half-step back. Somehow Ash found his voice. "Can we get two iced teas?" He felt Misty jump slightly against him when he spoke. The woman simply nodded and went back into the café.

He held onto her for several minutes before her crying began to subside. He felt her push gently away from him and this time he let her. She looked up at him, meeting his eyes and he felt a twinge in his stomach that he didn't understand. Her face was puffy and the skin around her eyes was red from crying. Below that, however, she wore a small, but genuine smile.

"Thank you, Ash," she said softly.

He blinked and looked down at his hands, which he had clenched tightly together. "I didn't—" he stuttered. "I didn't do anything."

"Yes, you did," she said louder. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied, unsure of what else to say.

The waitress returned with their teas. Misty gave her a polite thank you and Ash nodded. After she left, Misty took a deep sip and stared across the street. She seemed content in the silence and Ash let her be. The strange feeling had faded somewhat, but he still couldn't understand it.

"I knew this was a bad idea," she said after a few moments, still staring out at the street.

"What was?" he asked.

She looked back at him. "Entering this stupid pageant."

"What? Because of those girls?"

"No," she said and sighed. "Well, not just them. It's that I don't stand a chance."

"Sure you do," he automatically, but he had to admit to himself he didn't know enough about beauty pageants to know if she did or not.

She shook her head. "You heard Candy. She's won three times in a row. I couldn't stand to see her beat me. I don't think I could take it."

"Misty, you've never let anything or anybody stand in the way of getting what you want," he countered. "Are you telling me you're going to let her of all people make you quit?"

"Ash, you don't understand. I can't win. I was only fooling myself."

"I don't understand?" he said, his voice rising. "I've had Gary belittling me and my talents at every step of the way on my journey." She stared at him. "And you know what you said to me each time? Ignore him and move on. And I did? You know how?"

She shook her head, looking away.

"I had help. I had you and Brock and Pikachu. You were there for me."

"What are you saying?" she asked.

Ash paused. What was he saying? Misty had been there to help him all along. Wasn't this exactly what he had been talking to Brock about earlier? Then it dawned on him. "Let me help you."

"Ash," she said, sounding unconvinced.

"Please. I'll be honest, I don't know much about beauty pageants."

"Neither do I," she admitted.

"You see? Let me help you beat that blond bimbo."

Misty chuckled.

"What?" he asked.

"It's just funny when you said that?"

"What, bimbo?"

She laughed again. "Yeah, you looked so serious."

He smiled. It was good to see her happy again. "Bimbo, bimbo, bimbo, bimbo," he said in a sing-song voice, but then paused. "Misty," he added, the levity gone from his voice.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"I am serious."

She looked at him. "Ok, Ash," she said after a moment.

The waitress returned and asked if they were ready to order. Misty nodded. Ash, whose small breakfast had done little to make up for the previous day, nodded as well. Once she had taken their orders—a grilled chicken salad for Misty and a cheeseburger for Ash—the waitress left them alone once more.

Ash suddenly realized he had failed to do what he had been worried about before encountering Misty and the others. He was afraid to ruin the truce he and Misty had achieved, but he knew he had to get it off his chest. "Misty," he said quickly before he could change his mind, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" she asked. "Oh, you mean for the other day?"

"No," he replied, realizing that wasn't what he meant. "I'm sorry for every nasty and terrible thing I've ever said to you. I've called you so many horrible names during our arguments. I swear Misty, I didn't really mean those things. Truthfully. I didn't realize until I heard Candy say those things to you just how truly awful they were."

"Ash," she said. "You know, it takes two to fight. I've called you a lot of things too. I'm also sorry."

"Don't be. It's my fault."

"Ash, you don't have to take all the blame."

"But I want to."

"I won't let you."

The absurdity of the situation hit Ash and he starting laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"We're hopeless," he said between laughs.

"What?"

"It's something Brock said this morning. He called us hopeless. He was right. Look at us, we're arguing over whose fault it is we argue so much."

She stared at him for a moment and then broke out laughing too. "Hopeless, huh? I guess we are."

Soon they were both lost in hysterics. The waitress returned with their food and gave them a strange look, which did nothing to abate their laughter. Ash managed to thank her, and Misty, wiping a tear from her eye, did as well.

They ate in silence for several moments. Ash found himself watching Misty eat her salad. She delicately picked at it, a total contrast from the way he was demolishing his burger. She was concentrating on her food, oblivious of him. Suddenly he realized he was staring and he quickly turned to look down the street. He felt his cheeks grow hot. "So what do you want to do?" he asked, still looking away.

"Well, I have an appointment to get my hair done tomorrow morning, but I would like to…" She paused. "Ash, are you ok?"

He turned back to her. "Sure, sure. I'm fine."

She gave him an odd look, but continued. "I do need to get a new dress. I already have that new bathing suit I picked up in Tree Root City, and I really like it. Do you think I should get a manicure?"

He shrugged, only reasonably sure what a manicure was in the first place. He never realized how much went into getting ready for a pageant. He had to wonder why any sane person would ever put themselves through this. He could understand Misty's hesitance, but he also remembered how determined she seemed to be despite of it all.

"I really don't have a lot of money to spend," Misty said. "The dress alone is going to cost most of the money I've been saving up. At least that I can reuse that one day." She sighed. "Ash, do you really think this is a good idea?"

"Well, are you enjoying yourself?" he asked after a moment.

"Well, I have to admit, other than Candy and her posse, it's been pretty fun. I always figured the people who entered these things were like my sisters, stuck up and worried about what new hair styling product was out on the market. Most of the girls, however, are really nice, and they're just doing it for the fun."

He waited for her to continue, but she was apparently done. "So is that a yes?"

"Yeah, I guess it is."

"Ok," he said, giving her smile. "So what else do you need to do? The dress is a must, I guess, but I really wouldn't bankrupt yourself over this."

"You're right there. That pretty much just leaves training and practicing."

"Ok, sounds like we've got a plan."

"Ash, you really don't have to help me."

"I said I would."

"You're so stubborn sometimes." She shook her head. "And a good friend," she added softly.

He felt his cheeks heat up again. What was wrong with him? He couldn't remember feeling like this before. Was he getting sick? It hadn't been especially cold at night the previous week, but one could never be sure. He hoped that if he was getting sick he could get over it before he had to face the gym leader on Monday.

"Are you about done?" she asked, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Yeah," he replied.

The waitress returned once again, this time with the check. "I'm sorry," Misty said, "we wanted separate checks."

"Don't worry about that," Ash said. "I'm buying your lunch."

"No Ash."

"Yes. You said so yourself, your dress is going to be expensive. Let me pay for your lunch. I still owe you."

"I told you to forget about that."

"Well, I'll make a deal with you. Let me pay for lunch and we'll be even."

She sighed. "Ok. Have it your way."

Ash chuckled as he handed the waitress the money, with enough over to give her a nice tip. Misty stood and he followed.

"Have a good day," the waitress as she turned to go back in the diner. Just before she walked through the door, Ash could just make out her saying to herself, "What a nice couple."

He turned to tell her that they were just friends, but the waitress was gone. He quickly glanced back to Misty, but if she had heard the comment, she didn't show it. "Where do you want to go to look for a dress?" he asked instead.

"I heard there are some good stores in the mall. I figured we could try there."

"Ok," he said. Even though he wanted to help Misty, traipsing around a mall was very high on his list of least favorite things to do.

Misty looked at his for a moment. "Are you feeling ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said confidently. "Why?"

"You're just not acting yourself. You're all…nice."

"Can't a friend help out his friend?" he asked.

"Yes, you can. I'm sorry. Thank you." She smiled.

The strange feeling returned, only worse than before. Maybe he was getting sick after all. "Well, let's get going," he said.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Three hours later Ash followed Misty into the sixth and final formal clothing store in the Blossomful City Mall. By the third store, Pikachu was getting bored and Ash figured that a bored pokémon and expensive clothing were a not a good mix, so he sent him back to the Pokémon Center. The store they were in now contained the same assortment of dresses and suits as the last five stores, at least to him. He wasn't sure exactly what Misty was looking for, but apparently she had yet to find it. In his opinion, most of the dresses she had tried on had been fine, but they hadn't met Misty's approval. He didn't understand girls and knew even less about their shopping habits, but he was here to help Misty, and he was going to do what he could.

"You can go have a seat," Misty said.

He nodded, knowing by now the routine. She would hunt through the store, finding several dresses she liked, while he would sit and wait. Then one by one she would try them on. Unfortunately, Ash hadn't provided a lot of constructive criticism. He was completely out of his element. If she asked him to evaluate a pokémon, he could have told her strengths, weaknesses, abilities, evolutions, and more. But dresses? "It's pretty," was his usual response.

He had to admit, he'd never put much thought into clothes. His wardrobe consisted mostly of t-shirts and jeans. Over the years they'd learned not to keep a large variety of clothing, not when you had to carry all of your possessions on your back.

He knew Misty would take a while so he decided to wander the aisles. There were dresses of every imaginable color and design. He tried to think of what Misty would like, but kept coming up blank. One particular rack held dresses so outlandish he couldn't help but laugh, but he stopped quickly when he saw their price tags. Who in their right mind would spend that much on clothing? He quickly moved to a different aisle to find some lower-priced ones.

He was walking down the third aisle when he saw it. The dress was a pale blue with a hint of green, very similar to the color of Misty's eyes. It was a modest dress with thin shoulder straps and the material shone in the store's lighting. He might not know much about dresses or malls or girls or beauty pageants, but somehow he knew this was the dress. He stared for a few moments before slowly walking up to it, realizing the dress was even prettier up close.

He lifted it off the display and began searching for Misty. He found her looking at an orange dress so bright it made him blink. She had two other dresses—a deep green one and a bright red one—draped over her arm.

"Hey, Misty," he said. She turned to him and stared at the dress in his hand. Suddenly he was nervous again. "Um," he started. "I saw this and well…I thought…you know…you might want to try it on."

A smile grew on Misty's face. "Ash," she said, "it's beautiful." She carefully draped the dresses she was carrying over a nearby rack and walked up to him. She reached out hesitantly and he handed it to her. She turned it this way and that and then twirled around holding it close to her. Ash smiled and his previous nervousness vanished. "It's perfect."

She reached for the price tag and her face dropped. "Ash, I really can't afford this."

He felt disappointment fill him. How could have forgotten to check the price? He looked at the tag. The price, while not nearly as expensive as some of the ones he'd seen earlier, it was still a good bit more than Misty had said she could spend. "I can help," he said softly. For some reason he couldn't explain, he felt Misty needed this dress. He knew she liked it by the way her face her lit up when she saw it.

"Lunch is one thing, Ash," she said. "This is too much money. I'll find one I can afford." She began to turn to put the dress back on a display.

"I said I wanted to help," he said with enough force that she turned to face him.

"I know, and I thank you," she said. She smiled, but instead of the happy one she had worn only seconds before, this smile had a forced look to it. "You don't have this kind of money."

Ash had a thought. "I do," he said quickly. "I can use some of my bike fund."

He tried to cut himself off, but it was too late. He stared down at his feet, mentally kicking himself. The money he had been slowly saving over the past three years was his biggest and deepest secret. He hadn't even told Brock about it, and now he had just blurted it out to the last person he wanted to tell. He glanced up and saw Misty was staring at him. Not only was she staring, she looked like she was trying very hard to keep from crying again.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, confused.

"Why are you sorry, Ash?"

"I don't know," he answered truthfully.

She laughed despite the fact she still looked like might cry at any moment. "You can be so dumb sometimes," she said, but she was smiling now, a real one. "How long?"

"How long what?"

"How long have you been saving up to replace my bike?" she asked.

"Oh," he said. "A while."

"That's…" she said, but trailed off. "That's so sweet." She stepped closer and hugged him. Ash stiffened at first, but soon found that he liked that she was hugging him. Was this what it had been like when he had embraced her back at the café? He felt his face grow hot again and the strange feeling in his stomach returned, but this time he didn't care if he was getting sick. He felt a sense of calm come over him as he felt Misty close to him.

After a few moments she pulled away. Ash felt slightly empty for a second, but then the feeling was gone. "Why… why don't you go try it on," Ash said.

"Are you sure?"

"As long as you don't mind waiting a bit longer for your bike."

Misty gave him a funny look, but didn't say anything. She turned and walked to the dressing room. She opened the door to one of the stalls and stepped in. As she closed the door, he heard her say softly, "Thank you."

Ash walked back to his bench and sat down to wait. He was still upset at himself for letting his secret slip. He did have to admit, though, he was pleasantly surprised by the reaction. One of the reasons he had kept it a secret from Misty was so she wouldn't wonder about how slow he had been raising the money.

Deep down, his biggest worry was still lurking beneath the surface. What would Misty do when the day came that he returned her bike? He knew they had become friends, but what if Misty was tired of it all and the bike gave her a reason to leave? Wasn't it the very thought that had sent him out of the Pokémon Center that morning in deep confusion?

Was that why he was doing everything he had been doing today? Did he pay for Misty's lunch and was now offering to buy her a dress in an attempt to buy her continued presence? No, that wasn't right. He remembered her smile at the café after he comforted her and the look of happiness when she saw the dress. No, he was doing all this to make her happy, because her being happy was very important to him. More so now than it had ever been before. Something was strange. Things felt different, were different, around Misty now, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

The only thing he did know for sure about the last several days, he decided, was that he had spent way too much time thinking.

"Ash," Misty's voice said from inside the dressing room. "I'm coming out."

"Ok," he replied. The door opened and Ash took a sharp breath.

"What do you think?" Misty had let down her hair, which had grown some over the past several months, reaching just below her shoulders. As a redhead, Misty didn't tan well, and now her pale skin almost shone against the cool color of the fabric. The dress was perfect for her, as he had somehow known it would be. The color complemented her eyes and was a gentle contrast to her fiery hair. It flowed down around her like waves in the ocean. Misty was… What was the right word? he wondered.

"Beautiful," he said out loud, not sure if he had meant to do so.

"What did you say," she asked.

"Uhh…the dress is beautiful."

"Oh," she said. "Thank you Ash." She twirled around, allowing the bottom of the dress to flair out as she did. "Are you sure you want to spend your money on this? Who knows when I'll have a chance to wear it again."

"I'm positive," he said firmly. Realizing he was staring at her, he broke his gaze and looked down at his feet. His mind was ablaze with confusion. He had called Misty beautiful. Misty! It wasn't a word a friend called a friend. Cute, maybe. Handsome, sure. Maybe even pretty. But beautiful? That was something Brock would say to a girl on the beach or one of the Nurse Joys. It wasn't something Ash was supposed to say about Misty.

It was just a word, he tried to reason with himself. What did it matter if he had called her beautiful? It wasn't as if he thought Misty was ugly. There was another word which carried much more power than he first thought. Hadn't everything that had happened over the past two days started with a simple word?

Unwilling to admit defeat, his mind took a different tack. He hadn't meant to call Misty beautiful, right? He had just been trying to tell Misty the dress looked good on her. That made sense, he told himself.

Ash realized Misty was talking to him, but he was so lost in thought that he hadn't heard her. "What?" he asked.

She laughed and then repeated. "Are you sure you want to buy this?"

"Misty, I already told you I did," he replied. Before she could respond, he raised his hand to get the attention of the sales clerk.

The smartly dressed woman walked over to them. "Did you find what you were looking for," she asked with a smile when she reached them.

"Yes, ma'am," Ash said.

"Let me see," she said, looking up and down Misty. "The dress looks marvelous on you, young lady." The woman began gently tugging this way and that, examining Misty and the dress as she had discovered a new species of pokémon. "We'll need to make a few adjustments, but nothing major. Can I assume you are in the beauty pageant?"

Misty nodded and the woman made one last tug. "We get quite a lot of business this time of year, as you can imagine. No worries, though, we'll have it ready for you in the morning." She paused. "And how will we be paying today?"

"I'm paying," Ash said quickly, reading for his wallet and pulling out his bank card. The woman smiled at him and then at Misty, but didn't say a word.

Ash followed her to the sales counter and watched her slide his card. He thought of the birthday presents and holiday gifts, the tournament prizes and awards which had gone into building the account's balance. Remembering Misty's smile, he knew it was worth the price.

By the time the clerk was finished, Misty had changed into her usual clothes and her hair was pulled back into its ponytail. She smiled when she saw him.

Smiling back, he asked, "What's next?"

"Well, all that's left this afternoon is to practice my routine," she said.

He nodded, wondering what she had planned. He had been so eager to leave the arena the day before that he hadn't noticed what she was doing on stage.

"Ash, can I ask you a favor?" Misty asked, looking nervous.

"Sure," he said.

"I need to practice by myself," she said. "It's nothing about you, but it's something I've always had to do. Back when my sisters used to make me perform in their shows, I never had a problem acting in front of people. But when I practice, if there's anybody watching, I freeze up. Being on stage yesterday was one thing, but today, I really need to do this by myself."

Ash knew how little he liked being in front of a crowd if he wasn't battling, so he nodded. "If that's what you need, then that's what you need. I said I wanted help, not get in your way or make you nervous.

"Thanks Ash," she said. "You've been more help today than you realize. You are a good friend, even if we do get into fights." She paused. "Would you like to join me for dinner tonight? I'm supposed to meet some of the other contestants around six."

"Are you sure I wouldn't be in the way?" Ash asked. He was pleased she asked him, but at the same time, he didn't have the first clue of what to do at a dinner with a bunch of girls. What if they started talking about makeup or something? "Maybe they want a girl's night?" he continued.

"It'll be fine," Misty answered. "Besides, I'd like you to see that everybody isn't like Candy."

"Alright, I'll be there," he said. Thinking back on Candy, Ash suddenly felt protective of Misty. These other girls were supposedly nothing like the mean-spirited "bimbo," but he didn't want to take the chance.

"Great," Misty said. "Meet me in the pokémon center's lobby at about a quarter 'til. It's not a long walk from there." Before he knew what was happening, she pulled him into a hug. "Thanks Ash," she said.

Ash was shocked by the sudden embrace and by the time he thought to put his hands around her back, she was gently pulling back. Saying goodbye again, Ash left the store, re-entering the bustle of the mall's main causeway. He turned just before she disappeared from view, talking with the sales clerk about her dress. Once again a feeling came over him that he couldn't quite explain, but with it came a new realization. He may have called her beautiful while she was in the dress, but he was no longer sure it had anything to do with what she was wearing.


	3. Chapter 3

Brock and Pikachu were in the room when Ash made it back to the pokémon center. The older teen was again reading one of his breeder magazines while Pikachu dozed at the end of Ash's bed.

"Hey man," Brock said as Ash closed the door behind him. "Clear your thoughts?"

Ash reflected on the day. It had only been a handful of hours before when he left the pokémon center upset and confused. So much had happened since then. He was still confused about more than a few things, but he was no longer upset. "Yeah," Ash said after a few moments. "Actually, I ran into Misty."

"Uh oh," Brock said, closing his magazine and setting it on the table next to his chair. "How did it go?"

Ash again thought back on the day, beginning with Candy and other girls taunting Misty and then how he had comforted her afterward as she cried. He knew Misty wouldn't want him to tell Brock about that. "It was..." He paused, searching for the right words. "We're good," he said finally.

Brock smiled. "I said you'd figure something out."

Ash felt himself smile back at his friend. "Thanks."

"So how did you spend the rest of the day?" he asked.

"Well," he began. "Misty and I ate lunch and then we went to the mall to help her pick out some things for the pageant." He neglected to mention he bought Misty a dress out of his now not-so-secret bike fund.

Still, one would have thought Ash had sprouted a second head by Brock's reaction to his comment. "You went to the mall?" he asked incredulously. "With Misty?" He paused again for emphasis. "And you both survived the experience?"

Ash let out an exasperated sigh. "Yes. It wasn't that bad. Misty needed help so I helped her. It was fun. Okay, maybe not fun, but it was good."

"Alright," Brock said, still sounding skeptical. "You sure the place didn't burn down?"

"Confident. That's why I sent Pikachu back when I did. He was getting bored."

"I was going to ask you about that. I was a bit worried when he showed up back here alone, but he didn't seem concerned, so I held off sending search crews."

"How was your day?" Ash asked, changing the subject.

"Good, good. I can't believe I hadn't heard of this place before, considering the number of breeding shops they have here. I could spend a week here and still miss a one or two."

"Well, we're going to be here through at least Monday, so you have some time," Ash said.

After a moment, Brock said, "If we have time tomorrow before the pageant, maybe we can hit a few more." He stood up and stretched, his back cracking loudly. "By the way, have you had a chance to do any recon on your opponent for your gym battle?"

"No," Ash admitted. As worried as he had been about Misty, he hadn't put much thought into Monday's battle beyond basic strategizing.

"Well, from what I heard around town, this Candy girl is pretty good, with some powerful water types in our arsenal."

"Candy?" Ash asked, thinking back on the cruel-tongued blond and a crying Misty. Then he remembered Misty's comment during their encounter in the doorway of her room the day before about Candy and the gym. He simply hadn't put the two together until now.

"Know her?" Brock was looking at him strangely.

"We met briefly today," he said.

"Is she as beautiful as they say?" Brock asked.

Ash tried to think back, but all he could see was her sneer as she and her cohorts were leaving the cafe. "The riff-raff around here is starting to multiply," she said. Then his mind went to Misty in the dress, twirling around with a radiant smile on her face. Beautiful?

"Not really," he said at last. "Let's just say she wasn't very nice."

"Oh," Brock said disappointed. "Well, what are your dinner plans?"

"Plans? Umm, well, I'm supposed to meet Misty and a few of her friends from the pageant."

Brock looked shocked. "You mean to tell me you are having dinner with a flock of beauty contestants and you didn't invite your poor, lonely, available friend Brock?"

Ash instantly felt guilty. He hadn't even thought of Brock when Misty invited him. Not that he wanted to spend the entire dinner guarding his friend from himself, but he felt bad that hadn't even realized they would be leaving Brock alone.

Before he could think of a reply, however, Brock laughed. "I was only joking. You should have seen your face. It's about time the chick left the nest and learned to fly on his own. And to think, you're starting off with a bunch of beauties? I must have taught you well."

It took Ash a moment to understand what Brock was talking about. "No, it's nothing like that," he protested.

"Sure, Ash," Brock replied in mocking sincerity. "Just don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"But..." Ash began, deciding that request at least wouldn't be too hard to fulfill.

"And don't forget to put in a good word me with the ladies. The ones you don't take for yourself, of course."

-o-o-o-o-o-

At a quarter to six, Ash left his room and walked down to the lobby. He had been about to get dressed when he realized Misty didn't tell him where they would be eating. He decided it was better to be safe than sorry, so he was wearing his "best" clothes, which consisted of khaki pants and a red and white-striped polo.

There were only a few trainers in the lobby when he arrived, but he could hear more in the cafeteria settling in for dinner. Misty, however, was nowhere to be seen. Ash checked his watch to make sure he wasn't late. He ran a hand through his hair and then, realizing what he'd done, tried to flatten it back down. Just when he thought he had it under control once more, he heard a chuckle from behind him.

Ash turned to find Misty on the bottom step, wearing a yellow sundress she occasionally wore when they were in towns and didn't have to spend the day trudging through the woods.

"Misty," he said, his voice sounding higher pitched than normal.

"Looks like you didn't get lost," she said jovially.

"It was bound to happen," he replied with a slight shrug, unable to keep a smile from his face.

"You look nice," he said.

"Thanks," she replied.

He fumbled with what to say next. "I don't know where we're going," he said finally.

"Oh, sorry. It's called Luigi's," Misty said. "Most of the girls we're meeting are local and they said it's a good place and not very expensive."

Ash fought the impulse to run his hand through his hair again. "Oh. Sounds nice," he said, wondering why he suddenly seemed to have a one-word vocabulary.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied and then let Misty lead him out of the center and into the city once again. It was still bright out, but the sun was only just above the buildings to the west.

"How was your training?" he asked after several moments of silence.

"It went well," she said. "I'm as ready as I'm going to be, I suppose. Most of the girls have been training for weeks and I've had two days to come up with a routine." She sighed and looked away from Ash toward the shops they were passing.

Tentatively, Ash reached out and touched her shoulder. "Misty, you're a gym leader and one of the Cerulean Sisters," he said forcibly.

She turned back to him and gave a small smile. "I'm glad one of us is confident."

Ash let his arm drop back to his side and another silence grew between them as they continued to the restaurant. Ash struggled to find a way to fill the void but failed. Misty usually knew just the right thing to say before Ash began a battle, whether it was a word of encouragement or a quick jibe to get him worked up to face his opponent. Before he could come up with anything, however, they arrived at the restaurant.

Like most of Blossomful City, Luigi's looked old-fashioned. The small sign over the door said it had been family owned and operated for more than sixty years. Not much light escaped the windows, which were blocked by thick curtains. Ash opened the heavy wooden door for Misty and she nodded a thank you.

Inside, the restaurant was lit mostly by candles and the waitstaff were dressed in white with black aprons. Ash began to wonder just what Misty's new friends considered inexpensive.

Misty told the greeter they were there to meet a party and the young woman said several of them had already arrived. She guided them to two tables pulled together where four girls were seated and chatting quietly over glasses of water.

Misty led the introductions once they were seated and the greeter was on her way back to her station. Vicky, Lisa and Carol were locals, while Diane was from Olivine City and had traveled to Blossomful specifically for the pageant. Lisa and Vicky were blond and looked to be around seventeen or eighteen, while Carol, who wore her brown hair in a short cut, and Diane, who had her black hair in a long ponytail, were closer to his and Misty's age.

Ash felt completely out of his element sitting there and tried to distract himself by fumbling with the menu, hoping he wouldn't do anything to embarrass Misty. Before he had a chance to open the menu, however, the greeter returned with two more girls, who took the last two seats at the tables. At first Ash thought he was seeing double, but then he realized they were identical twins. Teresa and Trisha were from Ecruteak City, he soon learned. While their outfits were different, they had their dark brown hair styled the same, which made it hard for Ash to keep them separate.

Once a second round of introductions was complete, Ash returned to the menu, relieved to see the prices were indeed reasonable. Soon their orders were taken by the waiter and the group settled into a smattering of small talk. Ash was content to be silent for awhile and just listen. The conversation naturally started with the pageant and fashion, but soon moved to the latest romantic comedy to hit theaters and where the girls were planning to go on vacation this summer.

After some time, Ash noticed Misty wasn't joining in much either. It took him a few more minutes to realize that Misty was probably as much out of her element talking about movies and celebrities as he was. None of the other girls were professional trainers and therefore spent most of their time at home or in school rather than alone in the woods for weeks at a time.

"So, how long have you and Misty known each other Ash?" Lisa asked during a lull in the conversation about some "hunky" celebrity he'd never heard of before.

It took him a moment to register that he had been asked a question. "Oh, sorry," he mumbled. He glanced over at Misty and then back to Lisa. "Just over three years now, I guess. I had just started my pokémon journey and..." he paused to figure out the right way to describe their first meeting. "Well," he said finally, "I stole her bike."

Several shocked looks and nervous laughs greeted him from around the table.

"He had a good reason," Misty broke in. "His Pikachu was hurt and he needed to get him to the nearest pokémon center as quick as possible."

"Only I sort of blew up the bike before I was able to give it back to her," Ash said sheepishly. That produced more laughs.

"And you've been traveling together ever since?" Vicky asked.

"Pretty much," he said, glancing again over at Misty.

"Aww, that's sweet," said Teresa-at least Ash was pretty sure it was her. "I love to hear how couples first meet."

Ash lowered his eyes and coughed. Turning to Misty, he was still stumbling for words when she answered.

"We're not a couple," she said uneasily. "We're just friends."

It was Teresa's turn to look embarrassed. "Oh crap, I'm sorry. I just thought-"

Her sister interrupted her. "Teresa has a remarkable ability to stick her foot in her mouth," Trisha said.

They were saved from further embarrassment by the arrival of their dinners. Soon they were all eating silently and Ash did his best to restrain his usual habit of wolfing down his food. As they finished, the conversation crept back in, with many of the questions now being directed to Ash about his travels as a pokémon trainer. All of the girls had pokémon on their own, but the idea of living on the road, battling pokémon, and entering tournaments seemed to fascinate them. When Ash mentioned that Misty was a gym leader, the others practically squealed in delight and demanded to know everything there was to know about running a gym.

Although hesitant at first, Misty seemed to enjoy the attention and he could tell she was finally relaxing. It should not have surprised him considering he was sitting with seven beauty pageant contestants, but they decided to skip dessert. The girls all had a busy day tomorrow, so they soon called it a night. After the checks arrived and their dinners were paid for, they said their goodbyes, promising to meet up again before they all went their separate ways following the pageant.

By the time they were back on the street heading toward to the center, it was dark outside and Ash could see thousands of stars twinkling above him in the sky.

"That was nice," he said, hoping he wasn't going to start repeating himself again. "Thanks for inviting me."

"Sure thing Ash," Misty replied. "I"m glad you were there."

Ash thought of Teresa's comment, but he didn't know what to say about it so he contented himself with walking next to Misty once again in silence. It was the third time that day someone had made the mistake. First Candy, then the waitress at the cafe and now Teresa. Did they really look that much like a couple? Why didn't people accept they were friends? Was that so strange?

They were outside the center when Misty finally spoke up again. "Ash," she said quietly.

"Yeah," he answered.

"Now that you've seen the kind of girls I'll be going up against tomorrow, do you really think I have chance to win?"

Ash stopped walking and Misty quickly followed suit. Her eyes looked expectant and for once, he didn't turn away when he realized he was staring. He felt the now familiar twist in his stomach as he did.

"I do, Misty," he said. "You're great with your pokémon and you've been on a stage before many times."

"It's not just about pokémon," she countered, barely above a whisper. "You know that, right?"

"I know," he said, his heart pounding in his chest. "But you don't have to worry about that either." There was more to the sentence, he thought, starting with "because you are..." but even in his head he stumbled on the words that followed. What was he going to say? Nice? Pretty? Beautiful? A chill came over him even though he hadn't said the word aloud.

Misty gave him an odd look he couldn't comprehend and he was about to say something, what exactly he didn't know, when she said, "Thanks, Ash."

They walked inside the center in silence and soon were outside her room once again. Without warning, Misty hugged seemed to be doing that a lot today. "You're a good friend," she said, her face close to his ear. Then, without another word, she went into her room and closed the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Despite sleeping more soundly than he had since arriving in Blossomful City, Ash didn't feel entirely refreshed when he awoke the next morning. His slumber was plagued with dreams, but now that he was sitting up in bed, they were quickly fading away. Only one remained coherent enough that he could piece together bits, remembering that it involved Misty.

As he strained to regain the memory, he had flashes of the two of them on a pokémon battlefield, only they were not in the trainer's box but in the battle arena itself. Pikachu was in Ash's usual spot in the box. Facing them was Candy, a rather sinister looking gyarados in the trainer's box behind her. "Well, well, the riff raff is back," Candy said mockingly. Ash tried to remember more, but the harder he tried, the quicker the threads of the dream seemed to unravel until it was gone completely.

Shaking off the odd feeling left behind by the dream, Ash tossed off the sheets off his bed, disturbing Pikachu from his slumber.

"Pika," he said tiredly and Ash gave him a scratch behind one ear in apology.

Brock was still asleep, so Ash gathered his things and took them to the bathroom for a shower. The water was refreshing and he was soon feeling like himself again. By the time he exited the bathroom, Brock was awake and ready for his turn.

"Morning Ash," Brock said.

"Morning."

"Left any hot water for me?" he asked.

"A little," Ash replied with a chuckle. "About as much as you left me yesterday."

Brock rustled Ash's hair when he passed him. "You're cheeky this morning. You must have had a good time with the Misty's friends last night. I almost woke you up to ask you about it when I got back from dinner," he said. Changing his voice to sound pitiful, he added, "Which of course I had to eat alone since my best friend ditched me to hang out with a bunch of beautiful girls."

"Brock," Ash said exasperated.

"I have to have some fun with this, don't I?" Brock asked with a smile. "So, any of them catch your eye?"

Ash stopped short. He knew what Brock meant, but the question still caught him off guard. He thought back on the dinner and the girls and the various conversations about celebrities and pokémon training. He tried to think about whether any of them had caught his eye. There were the twins, but all Ash could remember clearly was that they were both using persians in their routines. It was the same for the others as well. Then, suddenly, his mind turned to the walk home and his talk with Misty. "Beautiful," he had thought.

Brock started laughing. "You look so serious there, my young friend. Were they all so beautiful that you couldn't choose?" He laughed again. "That's always my problem." Without waiting for an answer, Brock walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

Later, Ash and Brock went down to the cafeteria for breakfast. Ash found his appetite had returned and heaped food on his plate before grabbing yet another bottle of ketchup for Pikachu. Brock hadn't questioned Ash any more on the dinner and he tried to stop thinking about it himself by concentrating on shoveling food into his mouth.

He was about halfway through eating when he heard Brock call, "Hey Misty." Ash turned to see her walking their way, Togepi in one arm and a duffle bag in the other. She was dressed casually and Ash surmised everything she needed for the pageant was in the bag.

"Morning," she said when she reached the table, taking one of the empty chairs.

"Morning," Ash said. "Get your beauty sleep?" Normally the question would have been a joke, one that would have inevitably set them off into another argument.

This morning, however, he was sincere and apparently Misty realized that, because she replied, "As well as can be expected. It's going to be a long, crazy day no matter how this turns out."

"I know you're going to do great," Ash said, flashing her a smile.

Misty smiled back. "Thanks, Ash," she said. "And thanks again for your help yesterday. I couldn't have done this without you."

"Just give that bimbo a run for her money," he said.

Misty chuckled and gave him a "V" sign. She turned to Brock, who seemed to be in shock. "Brock?" she asked.

"Umm…what?" he asked absentmindedly. "Oh, sorry. Yeah, good luck Misty."

"Thanks for agreeing to look after Togepi again today."

"No problem."

"Oh, here are your tickets," she said, handing them to Brock. "I guess I'll see you guys on the other side. I've got 20 minutes to get to my hair appointment and there's still so much to do after that." She handed Togepi to Brock and stood up.

"Good luck," Ash said, but part of him told him it wasn't enough. He stood as well and grabbed Misty in a big hug. Leaning his head close to her ear, he whispered, "You're a good friend too."

Letting go, he smiled and then retook his seat. Misty smiled back and waved at the two of them, adding a tiny wave to Togepi before turning to leave the cafeteria.

Ash watched her leave and then turned back to the table to see Brock looking at him strangely. "What?" he asked.

"You weren't kidding when you said you guys made up."

"Why would I lie?" Ash asked. It was the second time Brock had reacted like this upon hearing that he and Misty were getting along.

"No, I didn't mean that," Brock said quickly. "It's just that you guys were so…nice to each other."

"And how is that a problem?" Ash began picking at his food, unsure what Brock was getting at.

"It's not," Brock said. He seemed to be searching for the right words, but then sighed. "Never mind. I'm just glad you two are talking again. It's beyond awkward for me when you guys are fighting. Right, Pikachu?"

The yellow pokémon nodded enthusiastically before returning to his nearly empty ketchup bottle. As they finished their breakfast, they discussed what they were going to do before the pageant, which was still several hours away. Ash agreed to go with Brock while he checked out the breeding centers he mentioned the night before, which should still allow them to get to the pageant and find their seats with plenty of time to spare.

They left the center and turned toward the square and gym, traveling down the street that was becoming increasingly familiar to Ash. They reached the bakery and Ash casually glanced into the display window, once again seeing the vast array of pokémon sugar cookies. He stopped as an idea overtook him.

"What's up?" Brock asked when he noticed Ash had stopped.

"Nothing," Ash said absently, trying to figure out how to pull off the plan still forming in his head. He looked down the street, searching and then finding the store he needed several doors away. "I just want to stop in here for a second," he said, pointing toward the bakery.

"Sure Ash, we have plenty of time," Brock said. "I better stay out here, though. I'm not sure they'd appreciate pokémon in there."

"Good point," Ash said. "I'll be real quick."

Inside, the smells of freshly baked goods were even stronger than they had been on the street. There were shelves of breads and rolls, pastries and pies. He went to the counter, behind which was a short-statured older woman wearing a hairnet and apron. He ordered one of the psyduck cookies he saw the day before, along with a staryu and a pikachu.

The woman was about to place them in a wax paper bag when Ash asked her is had anything "fancier." She smiled at him and grabbed a roll of clear wrapping plastic decorated with red polka dots. She carefully wrapped up the cookies and tied the plastic with red ribbon. Thanking her, Ash paid for the cookies and rejoined Brock on the sidewalk.

"Get what you needed?" Brock asked.

"Yeah. Just one more stop," he replied, glancing down at the store ahead of them.

"On a shopping spree, are we?" Brock asked with a laugh.

"Something like that," Ash said, leading his friend down another block before crossing the street. He hadn't paid much attention to the florist shop during his earlier trips other than noticing the various fragrances emanating from the flowers arranged in baskets along the sidewalk.

"Flowers?" Brock asked when Ash stopped in front of the store.

"I thought about getting Misty some flowers to show our support," Ash said. "Isn't that how these things are supposed to work, having them delivered so they're in their dressing rooms before the show?" Ash wasn't sure where the idea had come from, but it sounded right to him.

"Now that you mention it, that's a good idea," Brock said with a smile. "Want to go half and half on it?"

"Sure," Ash said. "I'll pay for them and you can pay me back. You'll probably need to stay out here again." Brock nodded and Ash was about to step into the store when he paused. Turning back to his friend, he asked, "Any idea on what kind of flowers she'd like?"

"That's a tough one, Ash. Why don't you ask the florist once you get inside? They're good at those kinds of things. And don't forget to make sure they can deliver them directly to the park."

"I will, thanks," Ash said.

Like at the bakery, the flowers' aromas were much stronger inside the shop than they had been outside on the sidewalk. Various bouquets, flower arrangements and potted plants covered every flat surface Ash could see, with even more hanging from metal racks and hooks attached to the ceiling. It was enough to make him feel like he was back in the forest rather than a place of business in the middle of a bustling city.

Across the wide open room, he saw a counter that was likewise covered in flowers and displays, but it took him several minutes to wind his way between the racks and plants which turned the floor into a maze. It took several tries, with more than one dead end, to finally reach the counter, which he discovered was vacant.

Ash rang the tiny bell set next to the register and a few moments later a woman appeared from behind a wall of ivy so effectively hiding the doorway that he jumped when he first noticed the movement. The woman was thin and mousy, her light-brown hair beginning to show signs of gray. She wore a flower-patterned blouse covered by a wide, green apron.

"Good morning," the woman said cheerfully upon seeing Ash. "My name is Judy. Welcome to the Green Hose. How can I help you?"

Ash was still recovering from her sudden appearance through the ivy, so it took him a moment to respond. "Good morning," he said. "Umm, can you deliver flowers to somebody competing in the beauty pageant?"

"Well," Judy said, "it's a little last minute for that."

"Oh," Ash said, feeling suddenly dejected. He should have known that there probably wouldn't be time to set something like this up the day of the pageant. He had really wanted to get Misty the flowers, even going as far as imagining the look on her face when she found them in her dressing room. He had hoped that they would help boost her confidence before going on stage. Now he was going to have to think of something else.

"I didn't say I couldn't do it," Judy said, obviously reading his expression. "It just can't be anything too elaborate and it will be limited to the flowers I have in stock.

"Really? That's great," Ash exclaimed, feeling his emotions pulling another u-turn. "Thank you. Thank you."

"You're very welcome," Judy said with a smile. "I already have several arrangements to deliver there and I have time to whip up another one before I leave." She reached into a pocket on the front of her apron and pulled out a small notebook. She then grabbed a pen off the counter and clicked it. "So, who is the lucky young lady?"

"Misty Waterflower," Ash said.

Writing the name down on her pad, she said, "Waterflower? Don't recognize the name. Is she new?"

"Yes, ma'am," Ash said. "We're here from Kanto."

"Is she your girlfriend?" she asked.

"No," Ash said quickly. There it was again, although he had to admit it was easier to understand the confusion this time since he was buying flowers for her. There was something about that idea that troubled him slightly but he ignored it so he could concentrate on the task at hand. "We came here so I could compete for a Johto badge and she decided to enter the pageant after seeing a flyer." That was all true, but he left out the part about their fight and everything else that had happened since they'd arrived in Blossomful City. "Our friend Brock is here with us and I…I mean we…thought we should get her some flowers."

"Isn't that sweet?" Judy said. "What kind of flowers are we getting for Misty today?"

Ash felt himself get a little nervous. He knew she was doing him a favor even accepting the order. What would she say when he told her didn't have a clue what to get? "Well," he began, "I was hoping you could help me with that. I really don't know what she would like. I'm not really good with flowers."

"No worries," she said. "Most boys don't have a clue when it comes to this kind of stuff. Why don't you tell me a little about her?"

Ash breathed another sigh of relief at her words. Not knowing what else to do, he started telling her about Misty. It wasn't in any kind of order, just random things that popped in his head when he thought about her. First he told her about her red hair and how she she usually kept it in a side ponytail. Then he talked about her pokémon and how she was a gym leader and a talented trainer. Then about her fear of bug pokémon and how he would often tease her about it. Then about her eyes and how they brightened whenever she saw the ocean. Then about how she would cheer him on whenever he was in a pokémon battle. Then he mentioned her temper, and how her eyes would light up in an entirely different way when they were arguing. Then the dress and how she looked as she'd twirled around, her hair fanning out around her. How "beautiful" she was.

Ash seemed to come out of a trance, realizing Judy was looking down at him, her pen laying on the notebook. She smiled at him.

"You have no clue, do you?" she said, the smile appearing to grow even bigger on her face.

"Ma'am?" he asked confused.

"Oh, nothing," she said. "Well, I think I have a pretty good picture of Misty and should be able to come up with something very nice for her."

Judy reached under the counter and pulled out a thick blue binder and set it in front of Ash. She opened it to reveal pages upon pages of lined notebook paper with photos and index cards attached like one of his mother's scrap-booking projects. Flicking through the pages, she stopped several times pointing out flowers she thought would go well together. Ash tried to imagine them in a bouquet and decided they would like nice indeed.

Judy quoted him a price and he felt it was reasonable, especially since he was splitting the cost with Brock. As he signed the receipt, he thought of his mother's reaction when his next bank statement arrived in the mail and how the resulting phone call would go. He knew the money was going to a good cause, so he decided he would just have to deal with the fallout later.

It was only when he was returning his wallet to his back pocket that he remembered the cookies. Taking out the bag, he asked, "Could you include this with the flowers?"

Judy only smiled again. "No problem at all. I'll make sure they arrive at the pageant with plenty of time to spare."

"Thank you," he said.

"You're very welcome," she said.

Ash was about to turn and leave when he noticed that she looked like she had something else to say. "Ma'am?" he asked.

"Oh," she said, appearing surprised that he'd spoken. "You and Misty, do you get confused for a couple often? Boyfriend and girlfriend, I mean. Like I did earlier."

Ash grew uncomfortable with the question, not sure why a total stranger was asking him something like that. "Yeah," he said cautiously. "It's been happening a lot lately, in fact."

"Have you ever wondered why?" she asked, her tone giving him the impression that she already knew the answer.

"Of course," he said.

"And?" she asked, drawing out the word like his old school teacher would when she wanted him to figure out a tricky problem on his own.

"And what?" he responded, surprised at the sharpness in his voice, hoping he didn't sound as disrespectful to her as he did to himself.

"Sorry," she said quickly, taking a step back from the counter. "It's none of my business. Forget I said anything. You just be sure to have a nice day."

"Thank you," Ash said, now more confused than ever. He almost added an apology, but didn't. Instead, he turned and began navigating the maze toward the front door. As he walked between the plants and displays, he couldn't keep him mind from returning to the woman's question.

Of course he wondered why so many people thought he and Misty were a couple. He'd been asking himself the same question the night before as they walked back to the pokémon center from dinner. They were friends, he told himself. They'd been friends for three years and as far as he was concerned, they'd always be friends.

But then, between taking one step and the next, an entirely new question sprouted off the first, making him stop moving altogether. It was a question that had never once occurred to him before now. It was a question, he realized, he may not have allowed himself to ask, even unspoken to himself. Because now that the question was there, he knew he would never be able to un-ask it.

The question wasn't why did people confuse Misty and him as a couple. It was what if they were a couple?

It was just a seed of an idea, buried deep inside him, but now as he stood still in that crowded shop surrounded by flowers and plants and little figures resting on metal racks and wooden shelves, the seed took root and began to sprout. And the flower that bloomed from the seedling was not anything he could have predicted just a moment before.

It confused Ash and terrified him at the same time. He wanted to fight against it, but he also had to admit that it explained the way he'd been acting and feeling lately, how hollow and upset he'd been after the fight with Misty when she wouldn't speak to him, how scared he'd been that she might decide to leave once she learned of his bike fund, how joyful he'd been seeing her smiling as she twirled in the dress, perhaps even the odd sensations he'd felt when they'd been eating lunch together.

Could he be attracted to his best friend? The longer he stood there, the more sense it made, even if also felt impossible. He knew from the day before he felt better when he was around Misty and they were getting along. But wasn't that what being a friend was all about? Hadn't he always enjoyed being around Misty, at least when they weren't arguing. Part of him agreed but another part began arguing that something was now indeed different about how he felt about Misty.

Before this change, he wouldn't have bought her a dress. He wouldn't have gone out of his way to avoid another argument. And he definitely wouldn't have almost called her beautiful, twice no less.

Was this what it meant to like someone? Not just like, but like like someone? And could that person really be Misty? It felt wrong, even if the same part of himself that he'd been arguing with insisted it was right.

His head was filled with so many strange thoughts that he could almost see them swirling around his head, occasionally landing on a leaf or display. Finally he dragged himself out of the maelstrom and began walking toward the door.

He didn't dare glance back at Judy, afraid of the expression he would see on her face. "You have no clue," she had said. Well, now it seemed he might have found one. He just didn't know what to do with it.

The sun outside was very bright after the darkness of the shop and Ash shielded his eyes to block the glare. A few seconds later, he regained his vision and walked over to Brock, who was still holding Togepi with Pikachu standing nearby.

"You ok?" Brock asked.

"Yeah, why?" Ash asked quickly, afraid somehow that Brock may have overheard his conversation with Judy.

"You look like you saw a ghost," Brock answered. "Everything go okay with the flowers?"

"Flowers?" Ash asked before remembering why he'd been in the store. "Yeah, it went fine." He hoped Brock couldn't hear his heart, which seemed to be pounding in his chest. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about his realization with Brock. It wasn't anything against his friend, but he wanted to be sure what this all meant before he starting sharing it. He also didn't know how Brock would react. Better to wait for now, he told himself.

"Judy, the owner, helped me pick out some good ones and she said they would be delivered to the pageant with plenty of time to spare." He told him the price and Brock agreed it was reasonable, pulling out his wallet and passing him his share.

"Ready to check out those breeding centers?" Ash asked, desperate for any kind of distraction.

"Sure Ash," Brock said. "Let's go."


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** I want to thank everyone for the reviews and favorites. They are most appreciated. The past two chapters were a bit on the short side, but this one should more than make up for them. The pageant has arrived and there really wasn't a logical place to split this up, so I do hope you enjoy.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Thankfully, the breeding center expedition through Blossomful provided just the distraction Ash needed to keep his mind off Misty. Brock knew more about pokémon breeding than anyone Ash knew aside from Professor Oak and he let him explain the various aides and tools each store provided, comparing them to ones they saw at previous shops. They visited half a dozen places before breaking for lunch, but Ash found that his hunger had once again left him and spent most of the time talking to Brock about a new fire-type pokémon one of the shopkeepers had mentioned. After eating, they visited a few more places and then began the trek back to the park.

They were still blocks away when the crowd began to thicken and the numbers continued to grow until they reached the edge of the park. There was an entirely different energy to place compared to the first time they had been there. A temporary fence had been erected to control access and although there was still an hour before the pageant was set to begin, a line was already forming in front of the gate.

Ash was shocked at the size of the line, but then he saw a much shorter one next to a sign indicating it was for those who had advance tickets. He and Brock steered their way to that line and it was only about five minutes before they reached the attendant. He looked to be in his early twenties and was wearing a baby blue Blossomful City Pageant t-shirt featuring a cherry tree. Fortunately they did not have a problem with Pikachu and Togepi joining them. Once through, a second attendant, a girl wearing the same shirt in pink, took a look at their tickets and beckoned them to follow.

Their seats were located on the amphitheatre's stone risers, three levels from the bottom. Looking around at the others in the section, Ash guessed they consisted of friends and family members who had also been given special tickets by the contestants. He wondered if any of those already seated were there to support the girls he met at dinner.

Ash took his seat and Brock followed suit. There wasn't room for Pikachu to sit between them so Ash let him sit in his lap, while Brock held Togepi in his. Looking out across the small lake, he saw the stage was now decorated in purples and yellows with volunteers shuffling about taking care of any last minute crises.

"This is exciting," Brock said.

"Behave yourself," Ash admonished, glancing at a man and woman who were sitting down next to them.

"What do you mean?" Brock asked innocently, a knowing smile growing on his face that finally cracked Ash's nerves and sent him into laughter. Brock joined in and soon the pair were lost in hysterics. Pikachu cocked his head to one side in confusion while Togepi simply waved its tiny arms and chirped.

"Thanks Brock," Ash said once he could catch his breath. "I needed that."

"No problem man," Brock said. "I could tell you were stressing something fierce. Don't worry, I'm sure Misty will do great."

Ash realized that he had been so caught up with his own issues that he'd almost forgotten that Misty must be going through her own pre-show jitters. Of course he had been thinking about Misty, just not in the way Brock assumed. He briefly wondered whether Misty received the flowers, but that was dangerously close to subjects he was trying to avoid for the moment.

The pair continued their small talk, discussing their theories about what Misty would do for her pokémon routine as well as where they would head next once Ash finally battled Candy. It was hard to believe that by this time tomorrow they could be on the road again. He was used to always being on the move, but it felt as if they had been in Blossomful City for weeks instead of just days. So much had happened in that short time. Once again Ash had to steer himself away from dangerous topics and tried to distract himself by crowd watching.

As time passed, the area around them steadily filled until there wasn't an empty seat to be seen. Despite the growing rumble of the crowd, Togepi fell asleep. Pikachu, on the other hand, was fascinated by the multitudes, looking this way and that. Ash stood up once and looked back at the sloping park to see it was now filled with hundreds of people sitting in beach chairs while others had blankets spread out on the ground. Seeing so many people, he couldn't help but feel nervous for Misty once again.

A few minutes later, the stage lights flashed twice to signal the show was about to begin. The din of the crowd lowered and music began playing throughout the park from the hidden speakers. A tall blond man dressed in a black tuxedo walked onto stage holding a microphone and waving to the crowd with his free hand.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen," he began, his voice booming across the park only to be almost immediately drowned out by a surge of applause.

"My name is Kirk Glovebottom," the man continued once the roar subsided, "and I will be your host for today's festivities. Welcome to the thirty-second annual Blossomful City Beauty Pageant. We have twenty-four wonderful candidates this year and, before the evening is over, one deserving young lady will be crowned Miss Blossomful."

He thanked a number of the event's sponsors and then went on to explain the format of the program, which would start with the evening gown segment followed by the bathing suit parade and finally the pokémon talent competition. He also admonished the crowd to turn off their cell phones and pokedexes to avoid distracting the candidates and the audience.

"With all of that business out of the way, don't you think it's time you meet the real reasons you're all here today?" Kirk asked. Hundreds of voices answered his question at once and he again had to wait until the cheering waned before continuing. "Alright, since you asked so nicely, I give you this year's Blossomful City hopefuls!"

If Ash thought the crowd was loud before, he was proven wrong. The resulting roar seemed to shake the very ground and he could feel a low rumble from the stone riser beneath him.

Meanwhile, across the lake, the back wall of the stage parted in two places and girls began walking forward from both openings in single-file lines which crossed in the middle of the platform. The dual processions continued, enough space between each contestant to allow them to alternate where the lines crossed. Soon all twenty-four girls were lined up across the stage facing out toward the audience.

The contestants were wearing dresses, no two sporting the exact same color or style. Ash could see the girls from dinner, and Candy was impossible to miss, looking primped and pampered in a bright red dress. His eyes, however, were quickly drawn to Misty, her hair down and styled simply but elegantly. She was, of course, wearing the dress he bought her.

"Wow," Brock shouted to him, his voice barely carrying over the noise from the crowd. "Where did she get that dress?"

Ash pretended not to hear. Silently, however, he agreed with his friend's one-word assessment. In the natural light of the stage, the dress looked even better on her than it did in the store. Glancing at the others in line, he was pleased to see that despite her earlier concerns, Misty appeared to be one of the calmer contestants, although it was admittedly hard to tell from so far away.

It was a full two minutes before Kirk was able to get the crowd back under control so he could continue the program. "Wow," he exclaimed. "We are definitely excited today. Now, if you guys think you can handle it, let's introduce our contestants."

Kirk walked to the far left of the stage until he was standing next to the first girl in line, a blond who looked to be about sixteen and was wearing a deep purple dress.

"Hi," she said. "My name is Abigail McCallister and I'm from Blossomful City." She gave a tiny wave to the crowd, which greeted her with applause.

Kirk stepped over to the next girl, who also gave her name and hometown, and then he moved on again. Ash noticed that while it sounded like the main crowd seated behind them cheered each girl more or less equally, down in the friends and family section it was a simple matter to figure out where each contestant's supporters were by their enthusiasm.

Candy proved to be the exception and when it was her turn, the crowd as a whole was noticeably louder, with a group of teenage girls taking up half of the bottom riser erupting into ear-splitting screams when Kirk approached her.

Brock leaned over to whisper something into Ash's ear, but he couldn't tell if it was "wow" or "woof." Either way, Ash felt it was best to once again ignore his friend.

"My name is Candy Smith and I look forward to being Miss Blossomful City for the fourth consecutive year," the blond girl said.

"My, aren't we confident?" Kirk said with his usual flourish.

Before he could move on, Candy leaned over to his microphone. "Of course," she said, followed by a giggle Ash suspected was rehearsed.

A few girls later, Kirk reached Misty. Ash yelled as loud as he could and he heard Brock whistling next to him. Pikachu added his own shouts from Ash's lap. Togepi, who was now awake, purred his gentle "Pri" and waved his arms in joy.

"Hello," Misty said into the microphone, sounding a little hesitant. She quickly overcame her nerves, however, and continued more forcibly. "My name is Misty Waterflower and I'm from Cerulean City." She then gave the audience a "V" and waved with her other hand, drawing more cheers, which Ash and Brock enthusiastically joined.

In the short calm that settled over the crowd as Kirk made his way to the next girl, Brock leaned over to Ash and said, "She looks good out there."

"She does," he agreed, although he suspected they meant two very different things.

While the introductions continued Ash couldn't keep his attention away from Misty. Like the others, she stood politely for the each girl to get her turn. As wave after wave of noise from the crowd washed over him, his mind kept threatening to return to his feelings for Misty and what they meant. Only now there little to keep him distracted and he knew he was fighting a losing battle. Glancing once again at Misty, he couldn't help but think about how happy she looked. He knew he had played a small part in that happiness. It wasn't just the dress he bought, he told himself, but also the fact that had been there for her when she needed him, like the many times she had been there for him.

He felt the odd sensation returning in his stomach, only now recognizing it for what it really was. And like that, he realized, the question which had haunted him for the past several hours suddenly had an answer. It terrified him and he had no idea how it would change him, most likely forever, but the answer was yes. He did like Misty. He like liked Misty.

He found the feeling in his center was no longer unsettling but warm and comforting. It seemed to flow outward from his stomach to his chest and his arms, all the way down to his fingers, which tingled as it they were threatening to go to sleep.

Ash felt that such a monumental realization should be marked by something grand. He didn't know what, but something, like the world itself should take note and acknowledge it. Just then, the crowd around him grew silent, the regular bursts of rapid applause and cheering coming to an end. For a moment he thought he had received his desired recognition, but then he glanced back to the stage to see it had nothing to do with him at all, but simply the fact that Kirk had reached the end of the line and was returning to the center of the stage.

"Alright," Kirk said. "There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. I do believe we are in for a treat today, if I do say so myself." He then motioned for the girls to cluster in around him. "Now, before the show began, we had the contestants draw lots to see in which order they will take part in the presence and composure portion of the program. This was completely random to keep everything fair." He paused to glance around him at the contestants. "If I could ask you young ladies to head on back stage, we will begin in just a few moments."

The girls waved once more at the crowd and began filing off stage through the two openings. "Please give them another round of applause as they leave," Kirk said and the audience gladly obliged. Once the girls were out of view, a pair of attendants walked onto stage rolling a small podium. They positioned it near the water just to the left of the short pier. Once they were done with their task, they left the stage and Kirk walked up to stand behind the podium.

"Although I'm sure most of you know how this will work, I'll explain things for those who might not. I will call each girl one at a time. Once she enters the stage, she will take a short stroll down our catwalk here," Kirk said, gesturing to the pier. "Then she will be asked a randomly selected question by yours truly. Don't worry, we left out the math questions," he added with a laugh.

"Before we continue, however, it is time to introduce our judges for this year's pageant," Kirk said before directing everyone's attention to a quartet of smartly dressed adults sitting in the center of the amphitheater's first row. He then spent several minutes providing a detailed biography of each judge. The audience greeted them with applause, but Ash suspected they, like him, were ready for the pageant to continue. Fortunately, Kirk soon finished and the judges gave a final wave.

The first girl Kirk called was Lisa from dinner. Ash knew she was local and the crowd seemed to give her a hometown welcome when she walked out on stage wearing a dark green dress. Just as Kirk said, she headed toward the catwalk, went to the end and turned slowly in place. She then returned, stopping next to Kirk and the podium.

"Welcome back, Lisa," he said. "Have you had a good time so far?" He held the microphone out to her so she could answer.

"Yes sir," she said. "It's been fun."

"Well, that's good to hear. Are you ready for your question?"

"Yes sir," she answered again.

"Alright, here we go." Kirk paused dramatically. "Which celebrity would you invite to a dinner party and why?"

Of all of the potential questions Ash had considered, this one didn't come close. He knew he didn't have a clue about beauty pageants, but he couldn't believe that was actually a question. For a moment, he wondered if Kirk was just kidding with poor Lisa. But he wasn't and after a moment's hesitation, she began talking about some actor who Ash only vaguely recognized from the previous night's various conversations. From the murmurs he heard from the girls sitting around him, Ash figured the actor was popular and according to Lisa, he was also very involved in charitable activities.

When Lisa was done answering, Kirk thanked her and she left the stage. More girls and more questions followed, many of them dealing with pop culture. Ash began to worry about Misty's chances if she received one of them, since last night had proven she only had a slightly better grasp of the subject than he did. His concern only grew after one poor girl from Viridian City became tongue-tied while answering, "What is the biggest challenge facing young people today?" and was almost in tears by the time she returned backstage.

Candy was given, "If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?" She talked at some length about world peace and understanding. Once again, Ash felt she was pandering to the judges, but the audience around him apparently disagreed, giving her the biggest ovation to that point.

As the procession continued, Ash found the questions becoming increasingly monotonous and his mind once again began to wander. He was soon back to the idea that he liked his best friend more than a friend. What did that mean for Misty and him? Should he tell her how he felt? A renewed sense of panic overcame him at the thought. What if he told her and she didn't feel the same? Could they stay friends after he crossed that line? Would Misty be offended and decide to return home?

In his mind, he saw the boundary between the realms of friends and more than friends as a fasting moving and dangerous river, one he wasn't sure he could navigate. Could he risk his longest friendship for something he honestly didn't fully understand yet?

But what would he do if he didn't tell her? How could he act as if nothing had changed when he knew it had? He thought of the odd looks Brock had been giving him all day, and most of that was before the florist shop. Brock would figure it out soon enough and Misty wouldn't be too far behind. She'd always been able to read him like a book.

Ash knew he had been right at the florist shop. There were questions that simply couldn't be taken back. Of course, if he did talk to Misty about this, he wouldn't be able to take that back either.

Ash was roused from his thoughts when Brock nudged him in the shoulder. He looked at his friend, who nodded toward the stage. Misty had just appeared through the entrance and was walking toward the catwalk. She reached the end and twirled around, fast enough to twirl her hair without disturbing the styling.

"Welcome back Misty," Kirk said after she stopped at his side.

"Hello," she replied.

"Are you ready for your question?" he asked, sweeping his arm out wide to signify the audience awaiting her response.

"Yes, sir," she said.

During Kirk's next dramatic pause, Ash silently hoped the question wouldn't be another about inviting some celebrity or another to a tea party. She knew so much about pokémon, why couldn't they ask questions about them?

"Here it is," Kirk said finally. "What is the one feature you'd change about yourself and why?"

Ash gave a quick sigh of relief, but then he realized that this was probably a much harder question than many of the ones asked of the contestants, like "If you could be on the cover of any magazine, which would you choose and why?" which Trisha, one of the twins from dinner, had received.

On stage, Misty took a few moments before answering. "The feature I'd change about myself is my temper."

Kirk laughed gently. "So your hair isn't the only fiery part of you?"

Misty gave him a sheepish smile. "No, sir. I'm quick to get into arguments, especially with a friend of mine. We fight all the time and usually it's about something silly."

Ask knew she was talking about him and felt a wave of nervousness overcome him about what she would say.

"Now he starts just as many of the arguments as I do," Misty said. "But sometimes I think if I just had better control over my temper, we wouldn't fight as much. We've known each other for years and get along most of the time. He's been so nice to me the last couple of days. He even bought me this dress." She motioned her arms down her sides to emphasize it. "He's my best friend," she continued. "I just wish I could show it better at times."

Misty stopped and the applause began. Ash joined in automatically, still considering her words. He felt his cheeks heat into a blush and felt suddenly exposed. He knew that no one around them knew who he was, but he still had to fight an urge to slip down in his seat.

"Thank you Misty," Kirk said. Misty waved again to the audience, looking slightly embarrassed herself, then turned and left the stage.

"Well, there you have it, ladies and gentlemen," Kirk said. "That concludes the first segment of our pageant."

Kirk's announcement that Misty was the final contestant of the round took him by surprise and he realized that he had been lost in thought for longer than he first supposed.

"We will now take a short intermission while our ladies get ready for the swimsuit exhibition," Kirk said, only to be cut off by a spontaneous eruption of applause laced with a generous mix of hoots and hollers. Kirk pretended not to notice, waiting a few moments before continuing. "We will proceed in reverse order next round so the last contestant this time around will go first and vice versa. Then when we reach the final round, the pokémon talent show, we will reverse again back to the original order.

"Before we go any further, however, let me turn your attention to the talents of the young ladies of the Blossomful City Academy Tumble Team." With a final wave, Kirk turned and left the stage through the same exit Misty had a few moments earlier. The stagehands returned to take away Kirk's podium backstage as well.

A low rumble emerged from the crowd as soon as Kirk disappeared, hundreds of people striking up conversations with those around them. As far as Ash could tell, the young girls performing on stage were almost entirely ignored. He was still nervous and glanced around, stopping at once when he saw Brock staring at him from the next seat.

"What?" he asked, his voice sounding oddly high to him.

Brock held his gaze for a few moments longer and the broke into a grin. "So when were you going to tell me you bought Misty her dress, huh?" he asked, sounding more amused than upset about being kept in the dark.

It only then occurred to Ash that Misty had revealed the secret quite publicly while answering her question. His tongue suddenly felt twisted and he couldn't find the words to answer.

Brock laughed again. "If I knew you had that kind of money hidden away, I may have asked for a loan back at that breeder shop with the digital database on sale." He paused and Ash could feel him studying his face. "I'm only kidding."

Ash let go of the breath he was hadn't realized he was holding. Apparently Brock hadn't figured out Ash's other secret. Besides, Ash told himself, he hadn't been aware of his feelings for Misty when he bought her the dress.

"So," Brock said. "How did this come about?"

Ash finally broke out of his verbal paralysis. "Well, we'd been going to just about every clothing store in the mall and Misty still hadn't found what she wanted. I was just wondering around and saw it. Of course, like an idiot, I didn't look at the price tag until after I showed it to Misty. I'd been saving some money for a rainy day and figured this was it." That was more or less the truth, Ash thought, but he still wasn't ready to tell Brock about his bike fund.

"So you're telling me you picked out the dress?" Brock asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah," Ash answered. "When I saw it, I knew it would look..." He had said beautiful to Misty. "I figured it would look nice.'

'Nice? Nice? That dress looks better than nice. I mean, if she wasn't, well, Misty, I might just be tempted to ask her out."

Ash felt a coldness sweep through him at Brock's words. He knew Brock was girl crazy and he'd garnered more than his share of humor from his friend's antics, but Brock had never said anything like that about Misty before. What came next was a wave of anger with the very concrete idea that Brock should not, under any circumstance, say such things about Misty.

Apparently oblivious to the effect his words had had on Ash, Brock continued. "Obviously I never would. I mean, she's Misty and besides, she's a bit young for me." He laughed and Ash found himself joining in, the anger melting away as quickly as it arrived.

Ash had experienced similar feelings, albeit in different contexts, and knew he had just been hit with an intense bout of jealousy against Brock over his words about Misty. The idea shocked him and made him even more aware of the fact that he would not be able to put off deciding what to do about his newly realized feelings. Whatever he was going to do, he was going to have to figure it out soon. At least he was now sure Brock hadn't deduced the entire situation or he would have never said what he did.

"It's good to know you have great taste," Brock said. "I might need to take advantage sometime."

"I'll see what I can do if you ever need a tip or two," Ash replied with a laugh.

Ash glanced back to the stage to see the tumble team wrapping up its performance. Once the young girls were done, they waved at the crowd and the few people paying attention began to clap, soon joined by others as they realized what was happening. The team left the stage and a moment later Kirk re-entered followed by the stagehands with his podium, who put it once again next to the catwalk.

"Let's give those kids another round of applause," the host said and the audience followed his direction. "Okay, folks, here's how this round will work. Each contestant will march onto stage, give us a stroll down the catwalk, and then return back stage to prepare for the pokémon talent exhibition."

Misty was indeed first when Kirk called the first name of the round. She walked out to thunderous applause, but Ash wasn't sure if it was a result of her performance in the previous round or simply because she was the first one to step out in her bathing suit. She was wearing a modest two-piece and didn't appear nervous prancing about in front of so many people. Of course, she had done so countless times back when she was performing with her sisters. The audience cheered again as she left the stage and Kirk gave her a wave.

Although Ash figured it would be best not to mention it to Misty, or Brock for that matter, he found it much less difficult to pay attention during this round. As with the dresses, the bathing suits varied greatly, helped by the age range of the contestants. The younger girls tended to wear fashionable one-pieces or modest two-pieces like Misty, while the older girls were less afraid to show more skin. Once again Candy stood out in red, this time in a bikini that had Brock starring with his mouth open. Ash nudged his friend out of his stupor before he began drooling.

Each girl was on stage for about minute with only seconds between her exit and Kirk announcing the next contestant, so the round moved forward quite quickly. After Lisa rounded out the procession and then left to return back stage, Kirk wiped his brow and exclaimed, "Wow, that was fun, wasn't it?"

The crowd cheered for a full two minutes before Kirk was able to regain control. During that time, he left his podium and the stagehands returned to take it away. "Alright, alright, I get that you're excited out there. Don't worry, the final round is coming up soon. First, however, we need to give our contestants a few minutes to get ready. To entertain you while you wait, we are proud to welcome to the stage, Blossomful City native and 'Johto Idol' semi-finalist, Beatrice Sky!"

Kirk quickly made his way off stage as a young blond woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties strolled out holding a microphone. The stage's lights bean to strobe through a multitude of colors and the singer launched directly into her first song. Ash presumed it was a popular hit because several girls sitting nearby began singing along.

Ash turned to Brock to find his friend bobbing his head to the music, but at least he wasn't singing. "Hey Brock," he called over the music.

Brock turned to him distractedly. "Yeah?"

"How do you think Misty is doing?" he asked. "I don't have a clue about these things."

Brock didn't answer right away and appeared to be thinking it over. "She's handling herself well up there. That question they gave her was a tricky one because it makes you point out something negative about yourself, not a thing you typically want to do. But I thought she did great answering it and she was memorable, which is the best thing you can hope for at this point in the competition. It also doesn't hurt that she gets to go last next round since she'll be the final contestant the judges get to see before they begin their deliberations."

Ash hadn't thought of that. Pokémon battles were much simpler. The last pokémon standing won. You didn't have to worry about impressing judges or answering silly questions. Brock's words did hearten him, though. Misty had worked so hard over the past several days and he wanted her to do well. It was driving him crazy sitting here with no control over the outcome. He briefly wondered if it was like this for Misty when he competed in the Pokémon League Championships.

"Who do you think will win?" Ash asked cautiously.

"Of course I'm rooting for Misty and I think she has positioned herself well to finish at the top. If I was completely impartial, I'd say Candy has the edge. She really seems to have this game down to a science."

"Don't you think she seems a bit artificial?" Ash asked, trying to keep his voice down so it didn't carry to Candy's entourage two rows away.

Brock pondered for a moment again. "I suppose you could look at it like that, but she also knows what the judges are looking for." He paused and gave Ash a hard stare. "You don't seem to like her very much."

"Well..." Ash said trailing off. "She was mean to Misty," he continued carefully, not yet comfortable talking to Brock about what happened at the cafe.

"Ahh," Brock replied knowingly. "That explains it."

"Explains what?" Ash asked.

"Why it looks like you're shooting daggers at the stage every time she's out there. I suppose your match tomorrow is a bit more personal now."

Ash flashed back to Candy's taunting and clenched his fists reflexively. "I guess so," he said, and then after a moment added, "I'm supposed to believe you could notice anything I was doing while Candy was on stage? It sure looked like she had your undivided attention."

Brock chuckled. "I can multitask," he said. "As for Candy, she doesn't know what she's in for if she's managed to get on both your bad sides. You guys can cause some serious damage when you put your minds together."

Ash smiled at that. Brock was right. He and Misty has accomplished quite a lot working together.

Beatrice finished what turned out to be her last song and Kirk walked back onstage. As usual he was greeted by a solid round of applause. "Thank you, Beatrice," he said. "That was beautiful. Just like our wonderful contestants. And speaking of them, don't you think it's time to begin the final round of the Blossomful City Beauty Pageant?"

The audience provided its answer immediately. While Kirk waited for the noise to die down, several stagehands began dragging out large rolls of padding like Ash had seen in gymnastic arenas.

"Alright then," Kirk said when the noise lowered enough for him to continue. "I'm sure the judges are having as hard a time as the rest of you in choosing a winner, so it's safe to say that this round is for all the marbles."

By now, the stagehands had the padding rolls in position and began unfurling them, sending them rolling across the stage behind Kirk. Within a minute, the entire stage was covered.

"Each contestant will have up to three minutes for her routine," Kirk continued. "She will be judged on her performance, her pokémon's performance and the integration of both elements within the course, there are certain pokémon and acts which had to be prohibited due to safety concerns for both the performers and the audience, not to mention myself." This last comment drew quite a few laughs from the crowd. "So there will be no sword juggling or high-wire acts today," he continued. This time he was met with a smattering of boos. "Bloodthirsty, are we?" he joked.

"In all seriousness, these young women have put a lot of time, thought and effort into these routines, so be sure to show your support. And here is your opportunity, as we welcome our first contestant for this round, Lisa," he said, shouting her name and immediately leaving his spot and making for a small exit on the left side of the stage.

This part of the pageant had fascinated Ash since Brock first mentioned it when they visited the park two days before. He was sure that Misty would have commented on his single-mindedness, but in this case it was hard to disagree. Not that he would ever tell her that of course.

Lisa emerged onstage dressed in a frilly red blouse with a black skirt and leggings. She carried a pokeball in one hand and something Ash couldn't identify in the other. She walked to the center of the stage just in front of the catwalk. Striking a pose, she nodded and music began playing through the park's speakers. Lisa tapped the pokeball and a pidgey appeared out of the resulting red beam. She then attached the pokeball to her belt.

Lisa flicked her other hand and a long, red ribbon unfurled onto the ground attached to some kind of handle she held on to. She began moving her hand, sending the ribbon swirling about, forming undulating waves and loops depending on the specific motion. Meanwhile, her pidgey took flight and began circling above the stage. At a command from Lisa, it dived, swooping through a loop in the ribbon only seconds after it formed. The pidgey repeated the trick several times and in between it managed to fly just above or just below the ribbon as it weaved around the stage. For her part, Lisa was a master at the ribbon, able to form almost any shape she wanted.

When Lisa's act ended and the music stopped, the crowd gave her a standing ovation, one which Ash felt compelled to join, Pikachu hopping to his shoulder. He knew Lisa wasn't a professional trainer, but she had perfected a routine even a seasoned expert would have a hard time duplicating.

Kirk appeared, motioning to Lisa as if to encourage more applause. She gave a short bow and recalled her pidgey. With a final wave to the crowd, she then left the stage.

As the program continued, with Kirk re-appearing between each act to introduce the next contestant, it became clear to Ash that Lisa was above the curve. The routines varied, with the girls showcasing talents including dance, singing, gymnastics, musical performances and a few dramatic monologues, although Ash wasn't entirely sure what they were supposed to be. The girls' control of their pokémon also varied, but it was obvious that most were amateurs.

Teresa and Trisha both did well with their gymnastic routines aided by their persians and Vicky's bulbasaur turned her twirling act into something more akin to juggling. Several girls made noticeable mistakes and even though Ash was rooting for Misty, he felt bad for them knowing their chances of winning had been dashed.

Unfortunately, as far as Ash was concerned, Candy wasn't one of the unlucky contestants. She performed some kind of complicated dance number with a giant gyarados. When the blue-dragon pokemon materialized from its ball, Ash found himself thinking of his dream about Candy facing him and Misty on the arena floor with the giant pokemon behind her. On stage, the gyarados swirled around Candy as she danced, its massive weight striking the stage with loud booms that somehow managed to synchronize with accompanying music. By the time she was done, even Ash had to admit part of him was impressed, as gyarados were notoriously tricky to train to battle, let alone dance, although the latter seemed a waste of its true talents.

As usual, Candy received a very loud response from the audience, which turned to laughs when Kirk pretended to inspect the floor of the stage for damage while Candy was leaving.

Whether it was nerves or being distracted by the noise of the dancing gyarados, the next contestant flubbed her twirling routine on her first toss and never really recovered. The girl who followed did much better, however, incorporating a vaporeon into her gymnastics.

As each contestant finished, the anticipation inside Ash grew. He knew the time before Misty would take the stage was shrinking. Another dramatic monologue, three musical solos, a cheerleading act and a karate set later, there were only two routines until Misty. The next girl did a mime act with a Mr. Mime that didn't really send the audience into laughs like she probably was hoping. Then, after a particularly good dance routine with a raichu, it was time.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, our final contestant of the afternoon, Misty Waterflower," Kirk said before once again stealing away through his side exit. Pikachu jumped back to Ash's shoulder to get a better view.

Misty stepped on stage wearing a blue one-piece bathing suit, which struck Ash as odd as everyone else had chosen some kind of frilly costume. She walked to the center of the stage and then stopped. She activated the pokeball in her hand and Staryu appeared out of the red beam.

Misty nodded, the music began and Staryu began spinning in place, its five arms becoming a blur. With another command from Misty, Staryu flew around her several times and then shot out to the end of the catwalk, angling its body slightly toward the audience, never slowing its spinning limbs. Misty put her hands above her head in a pose and then broke into a run down the catwalk toward her spinning pokémon.

Ash heard several gasps from around him as people began to realize that she was running too fast to stop before reaching the end of the catwalk. Stopping, however, wasn't in Misty's plan because she jumped over her pokémon and at exactly the right moment staryu unleashed a powerful water cannon attack. The jet of water struck the soles of Misty's feet, propelling her upward and out over the lake.

When she reached the apex of her assisted leap, Misty was about fifteen feet over the surface of the water and turned her forward momentum into a double somersault before opening up and diving into the lake.

Misty's leap had elicited a number of screams from the audience but as soon as she disappeared into the water, the crowd broke into applause. She was still underwater when staryu suddenly dove in itself. A few seconds later, Misty shot out of the lake, propelled by another water cannon. Again, she turned the leap into a controlled, tumbling dive, corkscrewing this time before striking the surface and producing almost no splash.

For her next dive, she performed a backflip in the air before going into the water. During the fourth dive, she bent forward, touched her toes and then straightened out, nailing the entry again.

She didn't immediately resurface this time. Instead, a large area at the end of the catwalk began to bubble furiously. Then slowly, Misty's head appeared, followed by the rest of her as she rose dramatically from the water. Soon, she was standing on the surface of the lake, staryu's combined water cannon and bubble attacks somehow allowing her to maintain her balance.

Misty took a step backward and was standing once more on the solid wood of the catwalk. A few seconds later, the bubbling ceased and staryu burst from the lake and flew to Misty's side. She struck a pose, complete with "V" sign, and the crowd erupted into applause. Ash jumped to his feet with Brock beside him. Pikachu managed to maintain his balance on his shoulder and joined in as well. More and more people stood up, even a number of Candy's entourage.

Kirk returned to the stage and with a final wave, Misty recalled staryu and left the stage.

"Wow," Kirk said over the still applauding crowd. "Is that a way to close out a show or what?"

Ash continued to clap until everyone else in their area had retaken their seats and only then did he and Brock sit down.

"Now it's time to turn this affair to our judges," Kirk said. "I hope you will give us some time to let them tally their scores." Ash noticed the quartet of judges had discreetly excused themselves while everyone was still cheering Misty. "We will be back shortly," Kirk continued. He left the stage and the assistants returned to begin rolling up the padding.

"That was incredible," Brock exclaimed. "I know she has been training with her staryu for years but that was nothing short of amazing."

"It was," Ash said quietly, still playing back Misty's performance in his head. She was a good trainer and had wonderful relationships with her pokémon, but he had never seen her do anything like this before. He felt an upwelling of pride for her, knowing she had done everything she set out to do. Her goal to become a great pokémon gym leader was still before her and Ash decided right there that he would do everything he could to ensure she succeeded in that as well. They would support each other, he told himself, together.

The fear was still there. Fear of rejection. Fear of ruining their relationship. But he also knew that the question had to be asked and an answer given. He'd already left the bank and was paddling across the river. He would either reach the other bank or he wouldn't, but turning back was no longer an option. It hadn't been since the florist shop, he realized.

"Ash, buddy? You there?" Brock said.

"Sorry," Ash replied, emerging from his thoughts. "What was that?"

"I was saying, Misty is a genius for figuring out that trick with the water cannon and bubble attacks."

"Yeah, she is amazing," Ash said. He'd meant to say Misty was amazing, referring to her performance, but decided to let the comment stand.

If Brock noticed, he didn't show it. They spent the next several minutes talking about the details of Misty's routine as well as some of the others they felt were among the best. They even tried to make predictions on who was in the running to win the pageant. Ash eavesdropped on a few nearby conversations and couldn't help but smile when he heard Misty's name being mentioned more than once.

Ultimately it took the judges about thirty minutes to make their decision, although to Ash it felt like hours. The stage lights blinked again to alert the audience, whose rumble immediately doubled as everyone realized their anticipation would soon be at an end.

A moment later, Kirk returned to the stage and for the first time he walked out onto the catwalk. When he reached the end, he spread his arms wide. "This is it, ladies and gentlemen," he said. "The evening gowns have been exhibited, the bathing suits paraded and our minds blown by amazing acts of skill. Now the judges have deliberated and they've made their decision." The crowd once again drowned him out and he stopped talking to wait for the roar to die down.

"Before we can announce our winners, let's give our twenty-four hopefuls another round of applause," Kirk said. Behind him, the girls entered the stage just as they had at the beginning of the pageant and were soon standing in a line facing out to the crowd. They had changed back into their evening gowns and Ash noticed Misty's hair was still damp and had lost its styling. Not that it mattered now, he thought.

Ash and Brock joined the rest in rising to their feet and giving the assembled contestants a standing ovation.

Kirk turned back to the girls and walked down the catwalk to stand where his podium had been for much of the pageant. "Do you hear that love?" he asked them. "No matter what happens next, remember this moment." He paused before continuing. "What I'm going to do next is call out three names in random order. Those contestants will consist of our next Miss Blossomful City along with the first and second runners up. Which one is which, well, you'll have to wait a few more minutes for that."

This is it, Ash thought. Everything came down to the next few moments. He turned nervously to Brock, who gave him a thumbs up.

Kirk pulled a piece of paper from his jacket and began reading. "The first contestant in the final three is..." he trailed off, letting the moment drag on for what to Ash felt like forever.

"Candy!" Kirk shouted.

The front row erupted into screams and the rest of the massive crowd joined in with a roar. Ash put his hands together once, but couldn't bring himself to clap for the girl who made Misty cry. He saw Brock applauding with the rest, but he couldn't really hold it against his friend since he hadn't told him the whole story of what happened at the cafe.

On stage, Candy was all smiles, waving one hand above her head while using the other to blow exaggerated kisses to the audience. Kirk was clapping as well and then motioned for Candy to stand next to him.

"Congratulations Candy," he boomed. "It looks like we may have a four-time winner on our hands folks. But before we find out that, we need to see who else will be joining Candy next to me. So, our next finalist is..." Kirk began, once again dragging out the suspense. "Lisa!" he shouted at last.

The blond girl threw her hands to her face in surprise and began jumping in place while the contestants on either side showed their support by clapping and congratulating her. The crowd roared its approval again, although Candy's supporters mercifully declined to scream.

"Congratulations," Kirk said over the noise, which only served to spur the crowd into redoubling its cheers.

This time, Ash joined in enthusiastically and watched Lisa walk up to Kirk and stand next to Candy. He didn't think it was possible, but the nervousness inside him grew with the knowledge that Kirk would only call out one more name and if it wasn't Misty's this time, her part in this affair would be over. Part of him was happy Lisa was among the finalists, though, both because of how nice she seemed during dinner and how good her ribbon routine was. He almost hoped the crowd would never quiet down so Kirk couldn't call out the last name.

But quiet the crowd did. Ash could feel his heart pounding fast and loud in his chest. Please be Misty, he thought desperately, over and over. He turned again to Brock, who held up both hands with fingers crossed. He then looked back to the stage and Misty. She looked nervous, but there was a smile on her face, which instantly made Ash feel better.

"This is it, ladies," Kirk said and the crowd hushed to silence. "The third and final contestant in the top three is..." Kirk seemed to drag the pause even longer than before, then, with a quick intake of breath audible through his microphone, he shouted, "Misty!"

For an instant, Ash thought he had misheard, that somehow he had been hoping so hard Misty would be chosen that his mind heard only what he wanted to hear. Then he saw Misty throw her hands over her mouth, her eyes sparkling with surprise and delight. He rose to his feet and a moment later, Brock bear-hugged him around the shoulder with one arm, jostling him and nearly knocking Pikachu over as the older teen jumped up and down. Togepi shouted happily from Brock's other arm.

Ash couldn't break his gaze from Misty, however, and watched as the girls on either side of her put their hands on her shoulders in a show of congratulations. She looked in shock, only now dropping her hands from her face and taking a tentative step toward Kirk and the other finalists. It was as if she still didn't believe it, however, because she stopped moving. It was only after one of the other girls gave her a gentle push in her back that she finally began walking in earnest.

Ash's vision was still bouncing up and down as Brock shook him in his joy. He was only dully aware that the crowd was roaring around him. Brock let him go and brought his fingers to his mouth to let loose a shrill whistle. Ash added his own claps and shouted Misty's name into the whirlwind of noise.

Back on stage, Misty reached Kirk and he held his arms out wide, gesturing to her, Lisa, and Candy. Behind them, the remaining twenty one contestants clapped and smiled, although Ash was certain each was sorely disappointed she was not among them. Lisa greeted Misty with warm embrace, and Candy gave her a punctuary, one-handed hug.

When the crowd finally quieted, Kirk proclaimed, "What a set of finalists we have here. I've been told the judges had a particularly hard time this year. I can see why." He chuckled, then added, "Now, I could drag this out for another ten minutes or so, but I doubt these young ladies would appreciate that. Or you fine folks out there, either, I suppose."

A loud chorus of noes roared back at the presenter. "Didn't think so," Kirk said with a laugh. "I guess we better get down to business then. Is that alright with you?" he asked, looking at Misty and the others. All three nodded.

"Alright, you heard them. Here we go. I have two envelopes in my jacket pocket," he said, patting the chest of his tuxedo. "The first one I pull out will have the name of this year's first runner up. For those of you new to the pageant process, that means second place. I will then pull out the second envelope, on which will be written the name of the new Miss Blossomful City. Of course, that means the contestant whose name I don't call out will be the second runner up."

Ash thought this was a curious way to announce the winners. If your name was in the first envelope, you were out of the running. But if your name wasn't called first, and you didn't end up winning, you were in third. He wasn't sure if he should be hoping Misty's name wasn't on the first envelope or not. Fortunately, his nerves were wound so tight by this point, he couldn't really think straight enough to worry one way or another. He just wanted her to win.

Kirk reached into his tuxedo's pocket and drew out an envelope. From a distance, it appeared to be red with gold trim. "Our first runner up in the thirty-second annual Miss Blossomful City Beauty Pageant is..." Kirk said, drawing out the moment before he opened the envelope, glanced down at its contents, and then shouted, "Misty!"

A flood of conflicting emotions washed over Ash at Kirk's announcement. Misty had come in second, he thought. Second out of twenty-four contestants, many of whom were older and more experienced in these types of events. But he also knew she had wanted to win so badly, and remembered how painful it had been for him to come up short at the Pokémon League Championships.

If Misty was disappointed in her finish, however, she didn't show it on stage. She was smiling and Lisa hugged her tightly. That was something else Ash hadn't considered. Misty had obviously made a number of friends during the lead up to the pageant and from what he could tell, they were nice people.

His internal turmoil abated slightly, Ash began clapping again and Brock slapped him on the back, giving him a toothy grin. Ash returned the gesture.

It was only when Ash heard Candy's supporters below adding their own exuberant applause that his thoughts turned darker. He knew at once why they were cheering and it wasn't because they were happy for Misty. As proud of her as he was, it wouldn't matter to Misty in the end what place she finished if Candy won and was able to lord it over her, something he felt sure she would do. Of course Misty was in this to win, but if she lost to anybody else, Ash suspected it wouldn't hurt nearly as bad than if Candy was the next name Kirk called.

Ash glanced from Misty, still caught in Lisa's embrace, to Candy. She was smiling as well, but there was a smug glint in her expression. In his mind, he heard Candy's friend ask nastily, "Why don't you go enter Miss Scrawny or something?" and Candy replying, "What are you talking about? She couldn't even win that." Ash wanted more than anything to be simply happy for Misty, but part of him knew it wasn't over yet.

Soon enough the crowd calmed and Ash retook his seat.

"Congratulations Misty," Kirk exclaimed. "I can honestly say I've never seen anything like your pokémon exhibition. You are a very talented young lady." The crowd shouted its agreement, although Ash noticed the girls in the front row didn't join in this time.

"Now it's the time everybody has been waiting for," Kirk said. "It's time to announce this year's Miss Blossomful City. Good luck Lisa. Good luck Candy." He then reached into his jacket to pull out the second and final envelope.

Ash felt his nerves growing taunt once more. Misty's part in this was unfortunately over, but Lisa was still there and still could win. Her ribbon routine had an elegance to it that must have made an impression on the judges. Not counting Misty's, her performance had been his favorite of the afternoon.

Kirk held the envelope up over his head for a moment before bringing it back close to his chest. "The 32nd annual Miss Blossmful is..." he began. He opened the envelope. Then, after waiting an extra moment or two, he shouted, "Lisa!"

Many things happened at once on stage. For the second time in the past several minutes, a look of complete shock filled Lisa's face. Misty mirrored Lisa's early embrace, enveloping the older girl in a smothering hug. Nearby, Candy's expression fell into an entirely different shade of surprise. "What?" the girl shouted, loud enough to be picked up by Kirk's microphone. If she said anything else, it was lost in the massive explosion of noise from the crowd. Ash jumped to his feet and joined the applause.

Then a new thought suddenly came to him, something he hadn't realized until now because of the out-of-order announcement. Not only had Candy not won the pageant, she had finished in third, behind Misty. Ash redoubled his claps, so much so that his palms began to sting from the strikes, but he didn't stop.

On stage, Misty let go of Lisa and the rest of the assembled contestants moved forward to offer their congratulations. Candy, who looked chagrined that her outburst had obviously been overheard by everyone, gave Lisa quick hug, but then moved to the back of the group.

Brock hugged Ash again and this time he hugged his friend back and soon they were slapping each other on the back.

'First runner up," Brock shouted. "When you think she only entered this thing two days ago, that's nothing short of amazing."

"And she finished ahead of Candy," Ash said, lowering his voice on the off chance it carried over the still roaring crowd.

"Yeah, I noticed that," Brock replied slyly. "So, that Lisa girl, she was one of the girls you had dinner with last night?"

"Yeah," he said. "She seemed really nice. If Misty didn't win, I'm glad it was her."

"And not Candy," Brock pressed.

"Yeah, not her," Ash said, surprised at the edge to his voice.

"One of these days, you're going to have to tell me what that girl did," Brock said.

"Maybe," Ash replied noncommittally.

"If nothing else, do you think you might be able to introduce me to Lisa?"

"I'll see what I can do," Ash said.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** Here's another long chapter for you and the next to the last of the story. This was an interesting chapter to write. Of course, certain events here were going to happen regardless, but in my original outline, they didn't happen like this. Still, I have say I'm happy with the way it turned out and this is probably my favorite chapter. I hope you enjoy.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Kirk closed the program by once again thanking the event's sponsors and then shouting a hearty goodbye to the crowd. What immediately followed was chaos as hundreds of people, who had filled the park over the course of several hours, tried to leave all at once.

Fortunately for Ash and Brock, they didn't have to fight the rush. Ushers arrived only moments after Kirk left the stage, shouting over the din that they would soon bring them around the lake to meet with the contestants. Soon, however, turned out to be a relative term. Ash watched from across the lake as photographers posed Misty, Lisa and Candy for a long series of shots. Then they gathered the rest for another round of photos. The girls disappeared backstage, but the ushers kept Ash and the others in their seats, explaining that the contestants needed time to change.

Several more minutes passed and then finally the announcement came that they could stand and begin following the ushers. A paved walkway led them from the amphitheatre along the shore of the lake. The various groups talked amongst themselves, carrying a low rumble with them as they stretched out a line about five people wide. Ash and Brock found themselves near the front of the crowd and thus were among the first to reach the amphitheatre.

The contestants were more or less grouped together, dressed in casual clothes and carrying duffel bags or backpacks. Ash spotted Misty and shouted to grab her attention. She turned and smiled at him, and for the first time in his life, Ash understood the expression about having butterflies in his stomach. She looked so happy, so content, so radiant, he stopped in place and felt Brock bump into him from behind.

If there had been any lingering doubt inside him about his feelings for Misty, they were dispelled just like the rising sun burns away morning fog. He was also sure about something else. This was not the right moment to tell her. He knew he couldn't turn back in the journey across his metaphorical river, but he also knew that he would need to tread water a little longer before coming ashore and discovering what would happen next. If things didn't go the way he hoped, he didn't want to ruin this moment for Misty. That wouldn't be fair.

He didn't have long to ponder it anyway, because Misty was running to him and nearly leapt into his arms, wrapping herself around him to grab Brock and pull all three into a group hug. Pikachu escaped at the last moment, perching himself on Ash's shoulder, joining the hug by reaching out to Misty and Brock.

"Ash!" Misty exclaimed. "Brock! Pikachu! Togepi!" She let go and pulled back. "Can you believe it? First runner up!"

Another worry of Ash's melted away as it was obvious to him that Misty was not too disappointed in finishing second. "You were wonderful," he said. "That move at the end, wow. Brock and I still can't quite figure out how you pulled that one off."

"I've been working here and there on it just in case my sisters asked me to perform with them again. I only managed it to do it once yesterday, but I figured I wasn't going to hold back and went for broke."

"Well, it paid off," Brock said. "You did a great job all around."

"Thanks," Misty said. "Oh, speaking of thanks, thank you so much for the flowers and the cookies. You don't know how much encouragement they gave me before the show. They're going to deliver them to the pokémon center for me later."

Ash once again lost his voice, but thankfully Brock filled in. "It was our pleasure, although you should really thank Ash. It was all his idea."

"Really?" Misty exclaimed. "Thank you." She hugged him again, this time solo. "You are a great friend," she whispered into his ear, just as she had the night before. Only now, Ash wasn't sure what think about the phrase.

Misty pulled back, still smiling. "Before I forget, Lisa is having a post-pageant party in about an hour at her house. She had it planned before she won, so now it's a congratulations party too. Vicky and Carol and Teresa and Trisha will be there, plus a few of the others and some people Lisa knows from around town. You and Brock are invited, of course. Do you want to go?"

"Yeah," Ash said. "Sounds like fun."

He felt Brock slap him in the back. "Ash calling a party filled with girls and not pokémon fun? Misty, our friend here is finally growing up."

Ash blushed and averted his eyes from Misty's. "It was bound to happen," she said with a laugh.

Misty had already said her goodbyes, so they starting making their way out of the throng of people near the stage. Although she at first protested, Ash took her backpack and Brock held her dress, safely inside its garment bag, over an arm. She in turn took Togepi, who had once again fallen asleep. The ushers directed them to a smaller side exit out of the park. A lone attendant stood next to the gate and he waved them through when they approached.

It took them a moment to regain their bearings since this exit deposited them on a different street than the one which led to main entrance, but soon they were on their way back to the pokémon center. The going was slow, however, since there were still many people filling the sidewalks.

They passed the time listening to Misty talk about the behind-the-scenes adventures of the pageant. Ash laughed along her at several of the stories, which seemed to be about a world completely alien from the one he knew. Brock led the way and Ash set a pace to walk next to Misty, Togepi still asleep in her arms. Pikachu was riding shotgun on his shoulder.

It was the first time he'd been this close to Misty for an extended period of time since the florist shop, and as they walked the streets back to the center, he found himself sneaking glances at her. He'd spent more time with her than any other person over the past three years, yet now when he looked at her, small details surfaced that he had either had not noticed before or just hadn't considered important. There were the collection of faint freckles dotting her nose and cheeks, the dimples that appeared when she laughed at a humorous recollection, and how several locks of her hair, free from their usual ponytail, framed her face.

Once, Misty happened to glance his way when he was looking. She smiled and he fought the reflex to quickly look away, afraid it would be an obvious tell that he had been staring at her. Ash felt his cheeks heat up as he smiled back, and the churning in his stomach returned in force. If Misty noticed anything usual, she didn't give a sign and soon turned back ahead to continue her story about twin sisters Teresa and Trisha flipping a coin to decide who got to wear which outfit for their pokémon exhibitions.

Soon enough, they arrived at the pokémon center. Upon entering, Ash turned toward the stairs to follow Brock to the second floor, but Misty asked him to wait and instead walked to the front desk, behind which Nurse Joy was at her station. Ash stopped and followed Misty to the desk.

"Hello," Misty said to Joy.

"Good evening," she replied.

"I'm supposed to have a package," Misty said. "Misty Waterflower."

"Oh," Joy exclaimed. "You were first runner up in the pageant, weren't you?"

"Yeah, I was," Misty said, sounding surprised.

"I listened to it on the radio," Joy explained. "One of the local stations broadcasts it each year. Sounded like you put on some show. The radio announcer was raving about your routine."

"Thank you," Misty said, blushing at the attention.

"Your package," Joy said suddenly, as if just remembering the reason they had started the conversation. "It's right here." She reached under the desk and pulled out a black garment bag, similar to the one containing Misty's dress, only smaller.

"Thank you," Misty said, accepting the bag from Joy.

Misty turned and Ash followed her to the stairs and up to the second floor. Brock was waiting for them at Misty's door, still holding her dress. Misty unlocked the door and took the dress from Brock.

"I guess I need to get ready if I'm going to a party filled with beautiful girls," Brock said with a laugh. "Don't forget your promise, Ash." He gave them a wave and walked down to their door before Ash had a chance to reply. Pikachu hopped down from his shoulder and followed Brock into their room.

"What promise?" Misty asked from inside the doorway. She placed the sleeping Togepi on her bed and hooked the larger of the two garment bags on the closet door.

"Umm," Ash began. "Well, I told Brock I would introduce him to Lisa if I got the opportunity. I guess this party will make that pretty easy.

Misty laughed. "That should be interesting."

"True," Ash said. "Well, I guess I should get ready too." Before he could leave, however, Misty grabbed his arm.

"I wanted to thank you again for everything Ash," Misty said.

"No problem," Ash said reflexively.

"Ash..." Misty said, but trailed off, appearing lost for words instead of him for a change. "I'm glad you're going to the party," she continued after the pause. "I had a little extra time this morning, so when I went to the mall to pick up the dress, I stopped into another store and got this." She gestured to the smaller garment bag still in her hand. "It's not much, nothing like what you got for me, but I just wanted to say 'thank you.'" She then held out the bag to him.

He looked at her questioningly and then at the bag.

"It's for you," Misty said. "I had them deliver it here since I couldn't take it with me to the pageant."

Wordlessly, Ash took the bag from her, unsure of what to think or do.

"Open it," Misty said softly.

He did, slowly pulling down the bag's front zipper, revealing a dress shirt, patterned in red and white to suggest the design of a pokéball without being obvious or cartoonish. It wasn't something he would have picked out himself, but now that it was in his hands, he had to admit he liked it.

"I thought you could wear it to the party," Misty said.

Now Ash understood what Misty had meant she said she was glad he was going.

As if reading his mind, Misty added, "That's not the only reason I'm glad you're going tonight. You put in a lot of thought and time into helping me with this and I want you to be able to enjoy the party and have a good time."

"Thank you, Misty," Ash said. "The shirt is great."

"So you'll wear it?"

"Of course," Ash said. "I guess I better get ready," he added after a moment.

"Yeah," Misty said. She hugged him again and this time he saw it coming, returning the gesture and crossing his arms behind her back. They stayed that way for several heartbeats and then pulled back at the same time.

Unable to think of anything else to say, he smiled at Misty and then left, gently closing the door behind him. When he was safely back in his room, he let loose the breath he'd been holding ever since the hug. He looked down at the garment bag, but his mind was whirling in too many directions for him to settle on any one thing.

"Pikachu," the yellow pokémon said from his bed.

"Hey, Pikachu," he replied, glad for the distraction.

Brock was nowhere to be seen but Ash heard the shower running in the bathroom. He hung the bag on the closet door and then sat on his bed, propping up the pillows so he could sit up and watch television while waiting for his turn in the shower. He was halfway through an episode of "Pokémon Classics," a documentary series about famous pokémon trainers and masters, when Brock left the bathroom.

"Don't worry," Brock said at once. "I made sure there was no hot water left this time."

"Har, har," Ash said, getting up from the bed.

Brock walked over to the closet and pointed at the garment bag. "What's in the bag?" he asked.

"Misty bought me a shirt as a thank you for helping her yesterday and for the dress."

"Well, I'm sure it looks better than anything you would have bought," Brock said. He stopped short, however, and added, "Actually, after seeing that dress you picked out, I don't know if that's true. I'm not sure if I'm ready for a suave Ash."

Ash joined his friend in laughter, but he was suddenly overwhelmed with the situation facing him about Misty and the many questions for which he had no answer. "Brock?" he asked, ready at last to broach the subject eating at him.  
"Yeah," Brock said, his face showing that he had noticed the change in Ash's tone.

At the last second, however, Ash lost his nerve. "If you really didn't leave any hot water, you can kiss your Lisa introduction goodbye." Before Brock could recover or Ash could change his mind again, he strode past his friend and into the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Lisa's house was located in what appeared to be a wealthy neighborhood. The trio took the same route to reach it that Ash had when he found Misty at the cafe two days before. He felt a turmoil of emotions when they passed the cafe and he risked a glance at Misty, but couldn't read her expression. They continued walking for another five minutes or so before arriving in Lisa's neighborhood.

The house was two stories and they could hear music playing from behind a tall stone privacy fence which separated the back yard from the street. A wide driveway to the right of the house led to a two car garage. They followed a paved walkway to the front door, where Misty rang the doorbell. She was wearing her dress again while Ash was in his khakis and the dress shirt she gave him. Brock was wearing dress pants and a nice, if a bit flamboyant, purple shirt with a floral pattern growing up one shoulder. They had decided to leave Pikachu back in Ash and Brock's room at the center to look over Togepi and the other pokémon.

After a moment or two, the front door opened to reveal Lisa, who like Misty was wearing her dark green dress from the pageant. The music blasted through the doorway, sounding much louder than it had from the street.

"Good to see you. I'm glad you could make it," Lisa said before hugging Misty. "You too," she added to Ash.

"Hi," he said. "Congratulations on winning."

"Thank you," she replied.

"And this is our friend Brock," Misty said.

Lisa smiled. "I heard a lot about you last night at dinner," she said. "Why don't you come in? Everybody is out back on the patio."

It was Brock's turn to be speechless and the older teen could only nod and walk through the door. Ash glanced at Misty and grinned. She returned the gesture and then they followed their friend inside.

Lisa led them through the foyer, down a hallway and into a carpeted den with one wall dominated by an enormous entertainment center. An open sliding glass door revealed the aforementioned patio filled with about twenty teens of various ages. The music, which had grown louder as they made their way through the house, was coming from a stereo setup at the edge of the patio next to a table covered in various finger foods and a large punch bowl.

Ash looked around at the crowd as they walked out onto the patio, noticing several contestants, including Carol, along with a few other girls he didn't recognize. There were about five guys in addition to Brock and himself. He realized they were going to be quite outnumbered. Most of the others had cups in their hands and were milling about in groups of three or four.

"Misty!" dual voices shouted simultaneously and a moment later Misty was enveloped in hugs by Teresa and Trisha. "Congratulations again," one of them said, but Ash couldn't be sure which. They were also wearing their pageant dresses, one blue and the other peach, but he couldn't remember who had worn what color.

"And you must be Brock," the twin in peach said.

"I am," Brock said in surprise.

"I'm good with names," she replied. "My sister here is a master at putting her foot in her mouth, as she proved quite admirably last night, and I am terrific at remembering people's names. We're both talented, just in different ways."

The twin in blue punched the one in peach playfully on the shoulder and stuck her tongue out at her sister.

"I'm sorry, but I'm at a disadvantage at the moment," Brock said.

"See, you're too busy showing off to make a proper introduction," the twin in blue said. "Sorry about that," she added, turning back to Brock. "My name is Teresa and my sister here who couldn't even remember her own name is Trisha. It's nice to meet you. We've heard so much about you."

"I keep hearing that," Brock said. "I'm beginning to worry about just what Misty and Ash said about me last night."

"Don't worry, they were nice," Lisa chimed in. "You're into pokémon breeding, right?"

"I am," Brock replied. "It's been a passion of mine for years. Traveling around with these two has given me quite the opportunity to research what others are doing."

"We need to find some time to talk then, because I'm also interested in it," Lisa said.

"Well, if your performance at the pageant is any indication of your pokémon skills, you should have no problem doing whatever you like," Brock said.

Before she could reply, the doorbell sounded. "Sorry," she said. "I need to get that. Don't run away."

Lisa gave a little wave and then re-entered the house, Brock watching her go the entire the way. Ash and Misty shared another knowing glance and he heard the twins stifle a giggle when they noticed.

"I suppose we can call our deal concluded," Ash said, but he had to repeat it twice more before Brock acknowledged him, and even then it was only with a distracted nod. Ash chuckled and turned to Misty. "Want some punch?" he asked.

"Sure," she said.

Ash didn't bother to ask Brock and excused himself from the twins, who were already holding their own cups. As he made his way to the punch bowl, he couldn't help but wonder how Brock made falling for a girl seem so easy. Perhaps it was practice. Or maybe he avoided longtime friends.

Just before he reached the food table, he passed a group of chatting teens and noticed two of them were obviously a couple. The girl was one of the contestants who had performed a twirling routine, but not the one who had dropped her baton. Her boyfriend had his arm wrapped around her waist and when she glanced at him during a lull in their conversation she gave him a big smile.

Ash was past them and at the punch bowl before he could see what happened next, but the image of the smiling girl stuck with him. If he and Misty did become a couple, would they act like that? He had no idea what being a couple entailed, even without adding in the extra complication of trying to become one with his best friend. He nearly overfilled his drink cup before he shook himself from those thoughts and instead concentrated on ladling a more modest amount into a second cup.

He glanced over at the same group on the way back to Misty and the others, but the girl was nowhere to be seen, her boyfriend's arm empty but for his drink cup. Arriving at his own group, he handed Misty her drink and she nodded her thanks. The twins were talking animatedly about the pageant, specifically about the behind-the-scenes drama and general insanity of packing twenty-four teen girls into a confined space. He didn't add much to the conversation, only occasionally giving his perspective of certain events as they looked from the audience.

They heard the doorbell ring twice more before Lisa finally reappeared with another ten or so teens in tow, including four more contestants and another three boys. The newcomers made their way to the punch bowl or the food, while Lisa walked over to join Ash's group.

"What did I miss?" she asked.

"We were telling Ash and Brock about the wild and crazy dealings backstage," Teresa said.

"I hope you're not giving away any trade secrets," Lisa replied with a smile.

"Nothing too classified," Trisha said. "I was just about to tell them about the gyarados conspiracy."

"The gyarados conspiracy?" Ash asked. The only contestant who had used a gyarados was Candy and he was instantly intrigued at the idea of learning some dirt on her.

"That still ticks me off," Lisa said with a sharpness in her voice that surprised Ash.

"What happened?" Misty asked.

"Oh, that's right," Lisa said. "You wouldn't know. It happened long before you got into town."

"We just heard about it from Vicky, so maybe you should tell the story," Trisha said to Lisa.

"Alright," she said. "You know how there was a list of banned pokémon we couldn't use in our routines?"

"Yeah," Misty said. "I was particularly glad to see jigglypuff was on there."

That drew a chuckle from Ash and Brock, who had both suffered the sleep-inducing effects of the singing pokémon on more than one occasion.

"Exactly, there was a reason they included the ones they did," Lisa continued. "Well, gyarados was on the original list published by the pageant's rules committee, probably because of its size and prickly temperament. Word is Candy went ballistic when she saw it and spent the next three days calling all of the pageant's major sponsors to complain. That's the rumor at least, but a few days later the rules committee sent out a 'corrected' list, and this time gyarados was nowhere to be found."

"She's not coming here, is she?" Trisha asked.

"Oh God no," Lisa said. "She wouldn't be caught dead going to somebody else's after party, especially since she didn't win. I know she had one planned too, but I'm betting she canceled the whole thing and is now sitting around feeling sorry for herself. She's really going to be insufferable for the next month or so." She looked at Misty. "At least you're going to be heading out soon, but I'm stuck with her. You have no idea how bad she can get at times."

"Oh, I've already seen her with her claws out," Misty said subdued. "The day before yesterday I was at this cafe not far from here."

"The one just down the road with the courtyard?" Lisa interrupted, then looked apologetic for breaking in.

"Yeah," Misty said slowly, as if she was trying to find her place again. "I was sitting there looking at the menu when Candy and two of her friends saw me. They said..." she trailed off, sighed and then continued. "They said some pretty horrible things. I was kind of trapped there and couldn't do a thing."

Ash could tell by her expression that it was still painful for her to recall. He felt an urge to move closer to her to provide some kind of support, just as he had when it was happening.

"Thankfully, Ash showed up out of nowhere," she said, looking to him, her face brightening somewhat. "He told them off and they left in a huff."

It wasn't exactly how Ash remembered it, but didn't say anything.

"That is so romantic," Teresa said, earning an elbow in the ribs from her sister.

"There you go again," Trisha said.

"But it is," Teresa whispered, and Trisha shushed her.

"Candy did something similar to us earlier in the week shortly after we arrived in town," Trisha said. "Although it sounds like she was much worse with you."

"I'm not sure what I would have done if Ash wasn't there," Misty said. "She and her friends knew just the right buttons to push."

Ash felt a momentary sense of guilt at remembered how similar their words had been to his own during their argument.

"Misty, I knew something must have happened with the way Ash acted every time Candy was on stage, but he wouldn't give me any details," Brock said. "I'm sorry that happened."

"No worries, Brock," Misty said. "Besides, it helped Ash and I get over our fight."

"And don't forget, you finished ahead of Candy and there's not a thing she can do about that," Lisa chimed in. "Besides, if you're lucky, you won't have to see her again anyway."

"Well, I'm going to see her tomorrow for sure when I go with Ash to watch him battle her at the gym," Misty said.

"Oh, I forget about that," Lisa said. "Would you mind if I tagged along? I haven't seen many actual pokémon battles and would love to see Candy lose big two days in a row."

"Us too," Teresa said, her sister nodding eagerly in agreement.

"Sure," Ash said. "Although I can't guarantee a victory."

They quickly made plans to meet in the park in front of the gym the next morning. Ash couldn't help comparing the situation to what he had been facing two days before, when he was set to face Candy without Misty. Now he would have a veritable cheering squad.

Talking about Candy followed by Misty's retelling of her encounter at the cafe seemed to cast a pall on further discussion of the pageant, so the conversation shifted to the trio's travels. This allowed Brock to speak more, especially since he hadn't been at the dinner the night before, and he overcame his earlier nervousness. Lisa appeared to pay special attention whenever he was talking and Ash began to suspect that his friend might have finally fallen for a girl who seemed to return the feeling. He thought ruefully to himself that before his own recent realizations he probably would have been completely oblivious to the signs.

They were interrupted occasionally as people drifted over to congratulate Lisa and Misty on their success. Carol and Vicky showed up and both gave a hug to Misty. Ash and Brock, after another round of introductions, congratulated them on their routines and soon the conversation was back to the pageant.

"Okay, Misty, we have to know," Carol said, gesturing to Vicky. "Give us the scoop on your Q&A segment. You were talking about Ash, weren't you?"

"Yeah," Misty said, so quietly that Ash almost couldn't hear over the music.

"I knew it," Vicky said, then added, "You didn't tell us that he bought you that dress."

"It didn't come up," Misty said, making it sound more like a question than a statement.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, they didn't tell me either," Brock said. Misty started to say something, but he waved her off. "I already told Ash I don't mind. Although I'm still having a hard time believing he actually picked it out."

"You did?" Lisa asked, switching her attention from Brock to Ash.

"Yeah," Ash replied, only afterward realizing that he too had turned his answer into a question. He was saved from further interrogation by the doorbell, whose ring cut through the music.

"That should be the last group," Lisa said. "When I get back, we'll really get this party going."

As soon as Lisa left, Carol and Vicky, being locals, demanded to know in which store they found Misty's dress and how much it cost. The latter question Misty refused to answer and Ash declined as well, not wanting Brock to know just how much he spent. When the pair heard Ash would be battling Candy the next morning, they asked to tag along as well.

Lisa returned shortly with another six teens, two girls and four boys, none of whom Ash recognized from the pageant. Instead of returning to their group, she instead went over to the stereo and turned down the music. Conversations around the patio instantly became audible and almost as quickly ended as people turned their attention to Lisa. After hearing the blasting music for so long, Ash's ears almost ached in the ensuing quiet. The sun had set, but like in the front yard, there were enough lights around the patio that he had little trouble seeing everyone.

"I want to welcome everyone again and thank you for coming tonight," Lisa said. "Of course, when I planned this party, I had no idea the outcome, but I can't say I'm disappointed." This was met with some good-natured laughter from the crowd. "I also want to congratulate my new friend Misty, who I'm proud to have as my first runner-up."

Ash quickly joined Brock and the rest of their group in the resulting applause.

"Come on over here Misty," Lisa said.

Misty shook her head slightly, but Teresa and Trisha joined forces to simultaneously push and pull her over to Lisa. Once there, Misty gave a gentle wave and was greeted by more applause.

"Alright," Lisa said when the crowd quieted. "A few ground rules. There are two bathrooms inside on the first floor and one in the pool house. Upstairs is off-limits or the parental units come down and everyone goes home. Feel free to walk around the backyard but please throw your trash in the cans by the food table.

"Oh," she added as if it was an afterthought. "We need people dancing up here, so when I turn the music back on, I expect some moves. Let's party!"

A cheer arose from the crowd as Lisa moved over to the stereo and turned the volume back up to where it had been before, perhaps even louder. About a dozen people soon worked their way to the center of the patio while those less inclined moved to the outer edges. Lisa walked over to their group and grabbed Brock's hand.

"Come on," she said, gently tugging at the hand she held.

Brock obeyed and began following her out onto the dance floor. On the way, Lisa turned to Misty and said, "You know, since he bought you that dress, don't you think he deserves a dance or two with you in it?" She winked and then she and Brock were lost amongst the dancing teens.

Misty looked at Ash with a confused expression as if to silently ask him what they should do next. For what it was worth, he had no clue.

"You heard Lisa, get out there," Teresa said, giving Misty a gentle shove on the arm toward the dance floor.

Ash felt someone's hand on his back doing the same to him and then heard Trisha say close to his ear, "Yeah, go on."

Misty gave him a silent shrug and grabbed his wrist to pull him out onto the dance floor. Her hand on his arm was warm and he instantly felt the butterflies return to his stomach. Before he knew it, she had let go of him and he found himself surrounded by whirling dancers. The music had a steady beat and soon Misty found the rhythm, dancing along and smiling at Ash as she did. It took Ash a bit longer, but after a shaky start, he joined her.

Ash thought about the fact that like the night before at dinner, he was once again completely out of his element. He found that he didn't mind though, and he knew it was because he was with Misty. One song turned into two, then three. He soon lost count. Dancers came and went, but he and Misty kept going. He felt a sheen of sweat break out on his forehead from the exertion, but he had no desire to stop.

Some time later, the atmosphere changed drastically when a slow song began. Ash glanced around at the stereo and saw Lisa standing next to it. She must have purposefully changed the tempo, he decided, and watched her walk over to Brock, who looked both nervous and excited. Many of the dancers decided it was time for a break and made their way to the few remaining empty chairs set up along the edge of the makeshift dance floor. Several others made the opposite trip, noticeably all couples.

Ash turned to Misty to see her once again giving him a questioning look. Two days before, he would have probably set a land-speed record making his way to one of the chairs, but a lot had changed over the past two days. With another flip of his stomach, he knew he very much wanted to stay right where he was. The question was, however, did Misty? Was she just being nice? After another moment passed between them, he decided to take the chance.

Ash reached and took hold of her hands, drawing her closer and placed one on his shoulder. He moved his now empty hand to her waist. The only person he had ever danced like this with was his mother when he was six or seven, but he remembered the basics. Misty looked at him in surprise and smiled, a simple act that burned away any lingering thoughts Ash may have still held about leaving. She squeezed the hand which still held hers and soon they were swaying together to the music.

Misty filled his vision and he had to force himself to occasionally glance over her shoulder to keep from staring. They didn't say a word as the song ended and another slow number replaced it. He could not remember feeling so content. There were many things he was still nervous about, but for the moment, they didn't seem important, at least not as important as spending time with Misty.

"I really had fun today," Misty said, breaking the silence, as the second song was coming to a close.

"I'm glad," Ash said. He was watching Brock and Lisa when she spoke and when he looked her in the eyes, he met her smile with one of his own.

The song ended and there was a break in the music, which was filled by a round of applause from those not dancing. Ash noticed Lisa making her way once again to the stereo, most likely to change the tempo again.

"Let's go for a walk," Misty said, and he could only nod.

They broke apart and Ash instantly missed the connection. He thought for a moment about taking her hand in his, but banished the idea, knowing there was no way he could explain it to Misty. Instead he followed her off the dance floor toward a gate leading to the pool. Behind them, the next song kicked in and it was indeed a faster number.

The pool was as big as it had looked from the patio, lit from above and below the water's surface. Misty seemed to be looking intently at the pool as they passed and Ash wondered if she was thinking of the even bigger one back at the gym in Cerulean City. Several people were grouped on the opposite side, sitting on several lounge chairs pulled into a semicircle, but Misty ignored them and continued forward.

Lisa's backyard was extensively landscaped and when they left the fenced-in pool area, they immediately found themselves on a paved path meandering between manicured flower beds and exotic looking trees. It was almost as if they were back in the forest, but lights set in the path and hidden within the beds ensured they had no trouble finding their way. They came upon a bench set in a natural alcove alongside the path and Misty motioned to Ash that she wanted to sit. He waited for her and then joined her on the bench.

The trees and shrubs seemed to close in around them, blocking out much of the dance music, as loud as it was, and giving Ash the impression that despite the many people at the party, the two of them were alone. He glanced over at Misty, but her earlier smile was gone, replaced with a pensive expression that filled him worry. She noticed him looking at her and gave weak smile that appeared forced.

"Misty?" he asked quietly, unable to find the words to form any of the questions filling his head.

She took a deep breath, as if she was having the same problem. "I have a confession to make," she said at last.

"Okay," he replied, trying desperately not to let the bevy of emotions swirling within him to escape in his voice.

"I lied to you the other day," she said. "When you asked me if joining the pageant had anything to do with our argument."

"Misty," he said, once again filled with regret over the things he said to her.

"Ash," she added quickly, "we already settled that. That's not why I'm bringing it up. You apologized and I accepted." She sighed. "I guess I just wanted to prove to myself that I was pretty as the other girls we meet. Our argument was just the last straw in a long line of straws. My sisters weren't easy to live with, believe me, but I could beat them when it came to defending the gym in badge battles, so it evened out in a way. After our fight, when I saw that poster, I thought that this could be my chance to win at the other side as well.

She was quiet then, but Ash gave her a moment to be sure she was finished. When she didn't say anything else, he said, "But you came in second place out of twenty-four girls. And beat Candy, who had won three years in a row."

Misty sighed loudly and looked down at her hands. "And what did everyone say to me? They said how wonderful my pokémon routine was. How amazing it was." Her voice cracked and she sighed loudly. "I know that's what's most important. I know I'd rather be a great pokémon gym leader than the airhead pretty girls my sisters look up to. And believe me, it was great to be recognized for being a good trainer, I'm not denying that at all.

"But, just once, I wish somebody would call me pretty," she said and Ash felt a pain in his chest at the longing he heard in her voice.

Ash couldn't help but be shocked at her confession. Sure he had seen her vulnerable side at the cafe, but this was something else entirely. A part of him was glad that she felt she could open herself up to him, but at the same time, he felt helpless and more than a little responsible. He played back the afternoon and could not remember anyone saying anything about her appearance. Just comments about her routine and the dress. He knew why he hadn't said anything. So worried about trying to act normal around her, he had gone out of his way to ensure he did nothing that could be construed as unusual. And calling Misty pretty would have been highly unusual. How could he explain that to her? He couldn't, he knew. But he had to do something.

"Misty," he said, unable to bear the silence any longer even though he still wasn't sure what he could or should say. "Misty, you're not-"

"I'm not what Ash?" Misty interrupted, hurt adding to the sadness in her voice. "Not pretty?" She stood up. "Thanks for the clarification."

There was anger now there too, swirling around the other emotions playing out through her words and etching themselves on her face. Panic seized Ash. How had everything gone wrong so fast? He knew it couldn't have been easy for Misty to admit what she did and now she thought he had thrown it right back in her face. Dancing with Misty had been wonderful and he spent much of evening thinking about taking their relationship further. Now, in a matter of moments, it was all turning to disaster before his eyes. If he couldn't convince her she was wrong about what he had been about to say, he wasn't sure if their friendship could come back from this.

Misty made to leave and Ash grabbed her hand more out of reflex than any set plan. She turned to him, her eyes alight in emotion, but he refused to look away.

"You're not supposed to tell your best friend she's beautiful," he nearly shouted, so desperate to fill the words with enough determination to break through her growing fury. They must have, because she made no further attempt to leave and simply stared back at him. The anger was gone, but Ash could not read the emotions which replaced it.

"You were amazing today," he said, forcing himself to continue before she tried to leave again. "And I don't just mean your routine. You were the best looking contestant in the pageant as far as I'm concerned. You were so pretty out there that I couldn't keep my eyes off of you and I'm sure I wasn't the only one."

"Of course you're saying that now," Misty said, sounding more defeated now than angry.

Ash squeezed her hand. "Misty, you are beautiful," he continued, saying the words aloud directly to her for the first time. "But how do you say that to your best friend?"

Misty was only staring now, seemingly lost for words. As for Ash, he found himself once again unsure of what to do next. He felt the panic returning, but then, just before it could overtake him, everything clicked together, as if the pieces of some giant puzzle had finally come together and he could see the whole picture for the first time. In the river flowing through his mind, he felt the first hint of solid ground beneath his feet.

"I know I'm not the smartest guy around, but I'm smart enough to realize how much of an idiot I've been. I don't have a good excuse for the things I said to you, but I will say I never realized how much they could really hurt you. How much they did hurt you.

"I guess I thought that when you saw yourself, you saw the same Misty I do. A smart and strong person. My best friend." He tugged gently on her hand he still held and she sat back down on the bench next to him.

"I thought you knew how pretty you are. You're not supposed to think of your best friend as pretty, but a part of me must have realized it awhile go, even if I didn't truly understand it at the time."

Misty started to say something, but stopped. Finally, she said softly, "But now you do?"

Ash nodded. He had built up so many warning systems in his mind over the past several hours that his head seemed awash in alarm bells. Earlier he had told himself that he would wait, but he didn't think that was an option any longer. Within the river, he was now standing, but the water was still deep and the flow was threatening to rip his feet from beneath him. He could either walk forward or lean back and let the current take him away. A part of him knew that he would probably not get another chance to make it ashore.

"I want you to know how important you are to me," Ash said. "You are my best friend. You've been by my side for so long, I can't remember what it's like for you to not be there. That's why I never told you about my bike fund. I was worried that if you got your bike back, you'd decide to go back home."

"Ash," Misty said. "My bike is not why I follow you around. Well, maybe for the first couple of days, but not since then. You are more than a bike to me. You are my best friend too. You know that right?"

"I guess I do," he answered, her words warming him but also adding to his worries over what might happen next. "I just didn't want to take a chance. I know it sounds stupid after all of the horrible things I said during our argument, but I just couldn't risk losing you as a friend." He paused, but then forced himself to continue. "That's why this is so hard."

"What is it?" she asked, her turn to sound concerned.

Instead of answering, he took Misty's other hand and placed it on top of the one he already held, squeezing them together between his own. She stared down at her hands, then looked back up at him with confusion etched on her face.

"I've realized a lot about myself over the past couple of days. It's had me thinking about a lot of different things, especially about you and me."

Misty's eyes widened at that comment and Ash forced himself to not look away as he continued. A small part of him became aware that he was rubbing his thumb gently over the back of her hand.

"Somebody asked me a question today. And that question led to another I asked myself. And the answer wasn't anything I saw coming. To be honest, it scared more than just about anything else I've faced in my life. But when I got used to the idea, it also made me incredibly happy." He paused. "I know I'm risking everything, but I can't go back. I don't want to go back."

Ash took a deep breath, momentarily wondering, if he simply held his breath, whether he could stay in this moment forever, never knowing what happened next but also never having to face the repercussions if it went wrong. But he wanted to know. He had to know. He could feel Misty's pulse where his fingers brushed her wrist. He could feel his own heart pounding in his chest. Both were beating incredibly fast.

Then, after what may have been seconds or minutes, Ash exhaled and time continued moving forward.

"I like you Misty," he said. "More than a friend. More than a best friend. It took me seeing the worst side of our relationship and the best, but I realized I want more. For me. For us."

There was more he wanted to say to her. So much more. About what she meant to him and how she made him feel, even if he still didn't understand most of it yet. How he wanted to learn about it all with her. But also that if she didn't feel the same way, he would understand and hoped their friendship could somehow survive.

But he didn't say any of it, and simply waited for whatever would come next. Misty broke their eye contact and Ash watched as she glanced down again at their hands, then over his shoulder into the darkness beyond him. A lump developed in his throat so painful he felt tears threatening to grow at the corners of his eyes. His chest felt on fire. He closed his eyes, unable to watch the turmoil on Misty's face for a second longer.

He felt her pull one of her hands free from his and his heart sank. He kept his eyes closed, so her hug caught him by surprise. Her arm wrapped itself around his shoulder and latched onto the back of his shirt. He felt her head rest on his shoulder, her breath tickling the side of his neck. He opened his eyes and all he could see was the fire of her hair. She pulled back and looked at him. The light filling her eyes was different than he had ever seen it before.

"Yes," she whispered.

Ash was confused for a moment trying to figure out when he had asked her a question. Then he realized he just had, perhaps the most important of his life to that point. And Misty's answer was yes.

Misty was crying now, but he could see she was also smiling. He must have looked funny, because she then laughed, nearly choking on a sob as she did. Letting go of her hand, he wrapped his arms around her to return the gesture she had given him.  
After what seemed like an hour, a most wonderful hour, they broke their embrace. Once again able to look Misty in the eyes, he wondered if the smile he felt on his own face was as big as the one on Misty's.

He knew that no matter what happened from this moment forward, his relationship with Misty would never be the same. The idea terrified him and exhilarated him.

"I never thought you would ever see me like this," she said after another long moment.

"Like what?" he asked, wondering if she meant seeing her cry.

"Like a girl," she answered.

"Neither did I," he admitted, realizing a second later this was not the best response he could have given.

But Misty only laughed. "Oh Ash," she said. "I sure had no idea what I was going to reel in that day I went fishing."

A question dawned to Ash at that moment, and a sudden curiosity led him to ask it. "So, did you see me as..." he trailed off, not quite sure how to finish.

"As a boy? Ash, there was no hiding that fact. Ever." She laughed again, and it was a nice laugh, one he didn't think he could grow tired of hearing.

"You know what I mean," he said.

"I know," she replied and then looked as if to give the question some serious thought before continuing. "Occasionally. More so sometimes than others. Like these last few days."

Ash waited to see if she would elaborate further, but she didn't. There was a stirring in his chest at the idea that Misty had indeed felt the same way about him that he now did about her, and had done so before, possibly long before, he had his own awakening. It also gave him a renewed sense of shame over the way he had treated her during their argument, but he forced himself to bury those feelings. He was done worrying about the things he could not change. If he was going to make this work with Misty, he knew he had to look ahead. Besides, the future held so much new potential for him, for them, he didn't want to turn away.

"So what now?" he asked, curious to see if Misty had a better idea than he did, which wouldn't have been difficult.

"I don't really know," she said. "I guess we'll figure it out together. We have time."

"Ok," he said. "Sounds like a plan." Admittedly it wasn't very detailed as plans go, but then, plans had never been his strong suit. Brock had been right at the pageant, though. Together, he and Misty could accomplish great things. Together. They were really together now, Ash thought and another wave of warmth swept through him.

He pulled Misty back into another hug, partly because he wanted to feel her close to him again, and partly to prove to himself that the last several days hadn't been part of some elaborate dream. This wasn't a dream, he decided. This was reality, and in it he could hug Misty without it being awkward or misinterpreted. He could hug her because he wanted to and she wanted him to want to.

"Do you want to go dance some more?" he asked.

"Sure," she answered and they broke their latest embrace with a shared smile. "I'd like that." Ash stood and then held her hand as she joined him. "How do I look?" she asked.

Ash looked and saw her eyes were a little puffy from crying but it would be hard to notice if you weren't looking for it. "Beautiful," he said.

They started back down the path toward the pool and the party beyond, their hands clasped together.

"What do we tell Brock?" she asked.

"We can tell him tomorrow," Ash said.

"But what if he notices?"

"I doubt he would notice a charizard if it flew down and began breakdancing as along as Lisa is nearby."

"You have a point," she said, laughing and putting her head against his shoulder.

They walked through the manicured lawn in silence for awhile and it was a comfortable silence, one where there was no need for words to express the emotions they were feeling.

"Ash," Misty said just before they re-entered the pool area. "I know everything is different now, going to be different, but no matter what, you are still my best friend."

"And you're mine," he replied.

They were silent once more as they passed by the pool, the music growing louder with each step. It had only been twenty minutes or so since they had come this way, Misty seeking an opportunity to make a confession. One that led to a conversation that almost destroyed a friendship. Ultimately it had changed it irrevocably, but for the better. Much better.

Back at the river within his mind, he glanced down and saw dry land beneath his feet. He could still hear the river flowing behind him, but he had crossed its waters and both he and his relationship with Misty survived the journey. The two versions of himself at that moment, the one standing next to a wide and dangerous river, and the one walking hand in hand with his best friend, who was now more, smiled.

Once they reached the patio, they went straight back onto the dance floor. Ash briefly glanced around for Brock and Lisa and then saw them sitting down with the others chatting amicably about something that seemed to have his friend smiling brightly. Leaving them to their own devices, he danced with Misty for song after song. Occasionally, when the music allowed, they talked, sometimes about their new relationship and what it meant for them, but mostly about nothing in particular.

Later, they rejoined the others and conversation drifted back and forth from the pageant to Ash's upcoming battle. He pulled his chair close to Misty's and contented himself by sitting next to her. He was right about Brock being too distracted to notice anything amiss, or at least he didn't give any outward sign that he did.

As the night grew later, people began to leave. Soon there were less than ten people remaining and Lisa turned off the music. Finally, Lisa's parents came down to declare the party officially over. Ash, Misty, and Brock said their goodbyes to the others, once again promising to meet in the morning.

On the way back to the pokemon center, Ash let Brock lead the way and when he pulled ahead by a few steps, he took hold of Misty's hand, giving it a little squeeze. Together, they listened to Brock talk animatedly about Lisa and her interest in pokemon breeding. Ash didn't know if this would amount to anything more than than Brock's other frequent infatuations, but he silently wished his friend luck.

When they reached the second floor of the center, Brock went straight to their room, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Ash had stopped with Misty outside her door.

Looking at Misty smiling at him with that new light in her eyes which seemed to be just for him, Ash found himself again lost for words. What could he say? What words could capture how happy Misty had made him tonight? Express what he was feeling now?

Then an idea came to him. An insane idea, but one that felt less and less crazy as the silent seconds ticked away. Before he could lose his nerve, he leaned in closer to her. Misty appeared more curious than surprised as he continued forward, and then his lips met her cheek. He stayed there only a second and then pulled away.

He was nervous and looked anxiously to discover Misty's reaction. Her face seemed frozen in shock, but then it melted into a gentle smile. He let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding.

"Good night," he said, breaking the silence at last.

Misty brought her hand up to her cheek. "Good night, Ash," she said.

Ash nodded and then retreated to his own door. At the last moment, he glanced back to see Misty watching him, still smiling.


	7. Chapter 7

**Editor's Note:** This is it, the last chapter. After 12 years, it's still hard to believe this story finished. Back when I wrote "Dark Prophecy," I planned to have Ash and Misty get together during the course of that story. It became clear early on, however, that for it to work, they needed to already be together at the start. This was my attempt to finally write a "Ash and Misty getting together" story. I have to admit I'm pleased with the result, even if it took more than a decade to complete. I do hope you have enjoyed the journey as well. Thank you for reading and thanks to everyone who have left reviews.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The next morning came quickly for Ash, although he slept soundly. Brock was in the shower when he awoke and he spent the time talking to Pikachu about their upcoming battle with Candy, going over possible strategies for the various scenarios they might face. So consumed by other matters, he hadn't spent the time to conduct much research on the gym leader's style or even what kind of match she demanded for badge battles. He only knew she was a water specialist and had a gyarados which would undoubtedly appear at some point.

When Brock was done in the bathroom, Ash took his turn and then, with Pikachu on his shoulder, they left the room. Ash knocked on Misty's door and he heard her tell them to go ahead and she would be down in a few minutes.

In the cafeteria, he grabbed a tray and collected his food, Brock doing the same behind him. After he started eating, however, he felt his nerves begin to tighten as they always did before an important battle. Although collecting every badge was important in his quest to compete in the Johto League Championships, this battle had taken on a more personal note.

When Misty arrived, she handed Togepi to Brock before going through the line, and then brought her tray back to their table, taking a seat next to Ash and giving him a smile. He smiled back, but refrained from anything else, knowing that without Lisa to distract Brock, he would surely notice something was different. Ash told Misty the night before they would tell Brock about their relationship today, but now just didn't seem like the right time to make such an important announcement. He risked a glance at Misty, and as if reading his mind, she gave her head the tiniest of shakes. Ash felt a portion of the tension growing inside him dissipate and tried to return his attention to the battle.

They took their time eating and Ash was struck by how normal it all felt to him. He then realized this was the first meal they had shared together since arriving in Blossomful City. He knew things were not exactly as they had been before, and part of him wondered how Brock would ultimately react upon learning the news of his and Misty's new relationship, but he couldn't help but enjoy himself, his worries about the future, at least for the moment, set aside.

After they were finished, they put away their trays, and with a wave to Nurse Joy on the way out of the center, they were off through the streets of Blossomful City toward the plaza, most likely for the final time, as long as Ash won his battle against Candy.

Ash stopped outside the bakery to show Misty the pokémon-shaped cookies and she once again thanked him for the flowers, which were now sitting on Nurse Joy's desk since they had no way to take the arrangement with them when they left. Ash wondered briefly about stopping at The Green Hose to tell Judy what happened as a result of her questions, but he decided against it.

When they reached the plaza, Lisa was already there along with Teresa, Trisha, Vicky and Carol. They were all dressed casually and gathered in the shade of a large oak.

"We wanted to be sure we weren't late," Vicky said when the approached.

Brock immediately went to Lisa and struck up a conversation, picking up where they left off the night before. The others gathered around Pikachu and Misty, who was holding Togepi in her arms. Both pokémon seemed to enjoy the attention and Ash let them soak it in, giving himself time to mentally prepare for the battle.

He had been afraid the gym would remain closed with Candy mourning her loss at the pageant, but as they approached the building, he saw at once the sign from before was gone. He paused in front of the massive doors and he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Misty standing next to him, smiling brightly.

"Your turn," she said.

He knew exactly what she meant and her confidence in him boosted his own resolve. For the first time, he silently thanked Candy for closing the gym in the run up to the pageant so he could be here this morning, with Misty, Brock and their new friends by his side.

"Pika," Pikachu chimed in from below, completing the moment.

"Alright, let's do this," he said.

The inside of the gym was just as grand as its exterior, large stone columns flanking a short entrance hall. The doors at the opposite end were closed with a red light above them indicating a battle was underway. Ash could hear the muffled sounds of combat and briefly wondered how the match was going. There were benches situated between the columns on either side of the hall and he went to one and sat down. Misty sat next to him while the others took their time examining the architecture. After a while, they sat down as well to wait for the match to end.

"This is exciting," Trisha said, breaking the silence.

"Just wait until the action begins," Brock said.

The wait turned out to be short one and within minutes the light went out. A few moments later, the doors opened and a young boy stepped into the hall, his head hanging low. He looked about eleven, probably near the start of his pokémon journey, and was followed out by another boy around the same age. The doors shut behind them.

The trainer didn't appear to notice Ash and his friends until he was halfway through the room. Looking around in surprise, he said in a low voice, "She's tough."

His friend patted his shoulder and said, "You'll get her next time. You just need a bit more training against water types." The pair continued their way out of the gym and soon quiet once again filled the entrance hall.

Ash watched them leave and then stood up, feeling the others' eyes on him. He approached the inner door and saw a metal plaque to one side instructing those who wished to enter to press the button below and state their business. The entire process felt very impersonal and he decided Candy probably used it as a tactic to intimidate her opponents even before they entered the arena. He had visited many gyms over the past three years, however, and wasn't going to let tricks like this bother him. He pressed the button and waited.

"Yes?" Candy's voice asked from an intercom next to the button.

Hearing her voice brought him momentarily back to the cafe and her words about riffraff, but he pushed the thought away. "My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and I'm here for a badge battle," he said, trying to sound as confident as he could.

There was a pause before Candy replied, "Fine. The doors will open in a minute."

"Alright," he said, turning to the others and giving them a nod.

They stood and walked over to him. True to Candy's word, the doors soon opened, giving them access to the arena. Ash tentatively walked inside, with Pikachu at his heels and the others just behind. The room was round like the building itself with a tall ceiling sporting skylights, which allowed sunlight to illuminate the circular walls decorated in detailed reliefs of pokémon in battle. The grandstands were stone risers similar to the ones at the city park, and Ash estimated they could hold several hundred people when full. The seats were split into two semicircles, with a break above the doorway he had just passed through and another at the opposite side where an identical doorway was currently closed. That would be where Candy entered, he knew.

"Good luck," Lisa said from behind him. He turned to face his friends, old and new.

"Yeah, good luck," Trisha said, both she and her sister giving him a thumbs up. The rest gave similar words of encouragement and then broke off to take their seats to his right along the bottom row of the risers.

"You've got this, Ash," Brock said and slapped him gently on the back, following Lisa and sitting down next to her.

Then it was just Misty beside him. She smiled at him and he smiled back.

"You've left big shoes to fill as far as beating Candy in competitions goes," he said. "I'll try to live up to your standard."

She laughed and the sound warmed him, making him feel almost invincible. "You'll do fine," she said.

Just then, the doors at the opposite end of the arena opened. He and Misty turned to watch as Candy walked out. She was dressed in a short skirt and a fancy red top. She was wearing a belt with several pokéballs attached. Her blond hair framed a face which had been haunting Ash ever since their encounter at the cafe. Now she looked determined and professional, at least until she saw Ash and Misty. Her eyes narrowed and anger seemed to fill her features.

"You," she seethed. "What are you doing here?"

Ash wasn't sure who she was talking to, but suspected it was Misty. Still, he answered her question. "I'm here for a gym badge."

Candy gave him a curious look, and Ash had an uneasy recollection of how his charizard used to look at him before they finally came to terms.

"I remember you," Candy said. "You were at the cafe with Miss Scrawny there."

"Hey," Ash shouted, realizing that Misty had yelled the same thing at the same time.

"Still sticking up for your girlfriend again, I see," Candy said, her voice turning to the mocking tone he remembered.

Out of reflex, Ash almost corrected her as he had two days before, but then realized this time she was right. Although he hadn't thought of his relationship with Misty in quite those terms, she really was his girlfriend now.

Before he could consider it further, Candy continued, "Oh, that's right. She's not your girlfriend."

Ash felt anger brewing inside. Before him was the girl who had made Misty cry. The girl who had called her so many horrible names. The girl who had lost to Misty in the beauty pageant. The girl who would soon lose to him in a pokémon battle if he had anything to say about it.

Fueled by his anger, this time Ash couldn't catch himself in time. "Yes she is my girlfriend," he shouted.

A moment later Ash realized what he had done when he heard Misty's sharp intake of breath beside him. He turned to apologize, but then he saw her smiling and the words fell away.

"What?" Brock shouted from his seat next to Lisa.

The outburst caused Ash to look over at his friend, whose face was set in an expression of shock.

Misty looked a bit sheepish as she too glanced at their friend. She turned back to Ash, saying in a voice low enough only he could hear, "Well, I guess that takes care of telling Brock."

Ash probably would have laughed if he wasn't still boiling with anger at Candy. As it was, he was still thinking of something to say to his friend when he was once again interrupted by Candy.

"Do you need a moment to sort this out, or can we get this over with?" she asked, glancing distractedly at the others sitting in the stands. She seemed to notice Lisa for the first time. "You're here too?" Candy said incredulously. "Well, my day is now complete."

"Glad I could help," Lisa shot back.

Candy didn't give any sign she had even heard the response and turned her attention back to Ash. "Tell your girlfriend to take a seat. Wouldn't want her to get hurt."

Misty shot Candy a look similar to the one she gave Ash their first night in Blossomful City before glancing to him and flashing a determined smile. "I'm going to enjoy this," she said. Then she turned and walked over to the stands.

Ash noticed Brock, who had not uttered anything since his initial outburst, staring dumbly back and forth between him and Misty until she took a seat next to him. Misty put a hand on Brock's shoulder and he finally seemed to wake from his stupor. She started talking to him, but Ash couldn't hear what they were saying.

He turned back to Candy and walked forward, taking his position in the trainer box. Candy did likewise on her side.

"This is going to be a three-on-three battle royale," she said, a level of professionalism returning to her voice now that the battle was about to begin. "The first person to recall all three of his pokémon or have them fainted is the loser."

Ash simply nodded his understanding.

"The battle begins when you release your first pokémon," Candy continued.

Ash reached to his belt and picked the pokéball he wanted and then waited until he saw Candy select one of her own. Then, taking a deep breath, he pressed the button, the familiar red light shooting out of the pokéball toward the battle arena.

"Heracross, I choose you," he shouted and the beetle-like pokémon appeared in front of him, ready for battle.

"Feraligatr," Candy shouted from her side and the reptile pokémon joined Heracross.

The battle had finally begun.

Despite Ash deploying his pokémon first, Candy proved quicker, sending Feraligatr into a flurry of attacks that Heracross only just managed to dodge. Ash felt himself sink into the battle, observing both his opponent and her pokémon for tells, always commanding and reacting. Although he hadn't danced much before Lisa's party, he could feel the similarities between it and the battle, but instead of the gentle equilibrium he shared with Misty the night before, here he and Candy were wrestling for control of the motion. He felt the momentum shift back and forth as the two pokémon continued to attack and dodge, charge and retreat.

Focused as he was on the battle, he could still hear his friends shouting their encouragements and it was indeed a boost to know they were there supporting him.

The young trainer had been right. Candy was tough. Much of her strength came from her aggressive style, pummeling her opponent with a nearly unending series of blitz attacks which left Ash little time to respond. But that kind of approach wouldn't work unless she was also an excellent trainer. He knew she was good after witnessing her routine at the pageant, but seeing it up close in battle conditions was something else entirely. It was if her pokémon was an extension of her will, converting commands into action almost instantaneously.

Unfortunately for Candy, however, Ash had spent the past three years sparring against an even better water-type specialist in Misty. During that time, they had helped each other improve, finding weaknesses in the other's strategies and techniques, only to do the same with the eventual improvements. He played back their numerous battles, seeking an advantage he could exploit now. Meanwhile, he kept Heracross one step ahead of Feraligatr's barrage, knowing it was only a matter of time before both pokémon began to tire and one made a mistake.

Although Misty's style wasn't nearly as aggressive as Candy's, he soon saw an opening in Feraligatr's attacks, similar to one he had pointed out to Misty more than a year before. Misty had fixed it quickly, but apparently no one had told Candy. He waited a few more precious moments to confirm his discovery, and then, when he saw the opening again, he ordered Heracross to counter-attack. The move surprised both Candy and Feraligatr, and the undefended blow knocked out the reptile in one blow.

A sudden quiet filled the arena as the battle came to an abrupt pause. Candy just stared at her unconscious pokémon in seeming disbelief. His friends provided a chorus of cheers and Ash head Misty's voice in the mix. He risked a glance and saw her give him a "V" sign. Candy recalled her pokémon and he quickly returned his attention to the battle.

"Lucky hit," Candy said, reaching for her belt to take another pokéball.

Ash thought about making a comeback, but decided she was most likely trying to distract him while she released her second pokémon. Candy paused with her pokéball in hand as if to see if he would take the bait and then pressed the button, a wartortle appearing in front of Heracross.

As Ash predicted, Candy attacked immediately, ordering Wartortle to send a series of water cannon attacks at Heracross. If anything, she was even more aggressive now that she was behind in the battle. This was a benefit to Ash, who once again saw a flaw in her strategy he had first discovered sparring with Misty. Although Heracross was definitely tiring at this point, he waited patiently for the opening to appear a second time and shouted a command to his pokémon which broke through the giant tortoise's defenses and scored a direct hit. Wartortle was a more powerful pokémon than Feraligatr and it wasn't an immediate knock out, but with a few more select attacks before it could recover, the larger pokémon collapsed and could not regain its feet.

The cheers from the stands redoubled and Candy recalled Wartortle to its pokéball. She didn't bother with words this time and a moment later Gyarados materialized before him and Heracross.

Ash had expected Gyarados would be in Candy's arsenal, being one of the strongest water-type pokémon available. It was a rare trainer who could truly master their tempers to make them a suitable battle partner and based on her performance the previous day, he knew she and Gyarados were most definitely in sync.

Fortunately, knowing for sure at least one of his opponent's pokémon ahead of time had allowed him to plan for a variety of scenarios. Still, foreknowledge and planning ahead could only make up for a portion of the dragon pokémon's brute strength and frightening speed. Although he was up two to zero, he knew it would only take a single mistake to swing the battle's momentum entirely to Candy's side.

Heracross really didn't stand much of a chance, having worn itself out taking on the two previous combatants. Ash thought of taking his battle-worn pokémon out but Candy didn't give him the chance. As soon as Gyarados appeared, she sent it into a dizzying series of moves that Heracross couldn't keep up with and then attacked with dragon rage, knocking out Ash's pokémon.

Ash recalled Heracross, patting the pokéball and whispering, "Good job." Although Gyarados dominated his vision, he saw Candy standing behind it in her box, a cocky smile showing through the determination etched on her face.

He knew there were limited options open to him to battle a pokémon of Gyarados' abilities, and he ran through the various plans he'd developed earlier and decided to go with one of the riskier schemes. If it worked, he most likely win. If it didn't, Candy would almost assuredly be the victor.

He risked a glance down to Pikachu and gave him a tiny nod to alert him of what was to come. Then, he reached to his belt and selected a pokéball.

"Noctowl, I choose you," he shouted and the flying pokémon appeared midair, speeding upward to give itself a chance to take stock of the situation. The entire battle rested on him on finding one more opening. This time he would have to rely on his observations of Candy since Misty rarely used her own gyarados.

Noctowl boasted considerable speed in the air and was able to dodge Gyarados' attacks, although Ash knew it couldn't last for long. Nervous minutes passed, but Ash didn't see the opening he needed. Candy seemed to be growing impatient of Ash's tactic of having Noctowl circle around Gyarados without attempting any offensive attacks. Her own attacks began to grow slightly erratic and then he saw his chance. Not waiting for a second opportunity, Ash immediately ordered Noctowl downward toward the menacing teeth of Gyarados. He saw the dragon-pokémon preparing some kind of attack he was sure would faint his much smaller pokémon.

He didn't give it the chance, however, ordering Noctowl to use its confusion attack, which struck a direct blow to Gyarados' face. As soon as he saw the effects sink in, he recalled Noctowl. He saw the surprise on Candy's face at the move, knowing they were now both down to their last pokémon. But if his plan worked, he only needed one.

"Pikachu, I choose you," he shouted.

The yellow pokémon jumped forward from his place at Ash's side. He didn't need orders since Ash had already explained to him what he was to do that morning while Brock was in the shower. Gyarados, still caught in Noctowl's confusion attack, was thrashing about as if blind, trying to in vain to find its flying opponent who was no longer there. Taking advantage, Pikachu leaped onto the larger pokémon's back and began running up toward its head.

Candy must have realized what Ash was doing and called out to her pokémon to dislodge Pikachu, but Gyarados was in no condition to listen to orders. Still, it could feel something on its back and jerked back and forth. Pikachu managed to keep his grip and quickly reached Gyarados' head. He jumped upward and the spun around to face his opponent.

"Thunderbolt," Ash yelled, although the command wasn't actually necessary.

"Pikachu," the pokémon answered and a second later an intense blast of electricity descended to Gyarados. The light and noise almost overwhelmed Ash's senses and he felt a rush of heat, wind and dust overwhelm the arena and then he was lost in the cloud as well. He could hear the explosion echoing around the circular room.

Unable to see, he could only wait as the echoes died away and the dust finally settled, revealing Pikachu triumphantly standing atop his fallen opponent.

"Yes," Ash exclaimed, pumping his fist into the air to emphasize the victory. He could hear the others cheering louder than ever and looked over to see them on their feet, high-fiving each other in celebration. He caught Misty smiling at him and he felt his own smile widen.

Pikachu bounded off his foe and ran to Ash, jumping into his arms. Ash ruffled the back of his neck. "We did it boy," he said.

"Pika, pikapi," he replied.

Setting Pikachu back down, he turned his attention to Candy, who was still looking at her unconscious Gyarados. She took its pokéball from her belt and recalled it in another blaze of red light. Only then did she look at him. Her face was a mask and he couldn't read her expression. She simply stared at him for a moment before nodding her head slightly to the right, indicating the walkway around the arena on the side opposite the one where his friends were currently congratulating each other. She then left her trainer's box and began walking in that direction. Ash realized what she wanted and did likewise, Pikachu following him.

They met at the halfway point. It was the first time he had been face to face with her since the cafe and Ash allowed himself a moment to take her in. Her hair was slightly disheveled due to the exertion of the battle, but she otherwise looked the same. The anger and scorn were muted but he could still see signs of them beneath the expressionless mask she was maintaining.

He had an odd feeling standing there. In a way, it was because of her that he and Misty were able to put their argument to rest and reclaim their friendship, allowing them to advance to an even closer relationship. But he knew he would never be able to forgive her for the way she treated Misty, recalling her attitude prior to the battle.

"Good battle," she said, her voice flat but once again he could hear hints of her usual scorn bubbling beneath the surface.

Still, it was a classier gesture than he had expected. "You, too," he said, keeping his voice even.

Candy reached down to a small pouch attached to her pokéball belt. She unclasped the top and pulled out a tiny metal badge. She handed Ash the badge with all of the ceremony of a waitress presenting the bill, but Ash couldn't help but smile as he looked down at the metal bauble symbolizing that he was now one step closer to the Johto League Championships.

"You know the way out," Candy said and, without another word, turned to walk away, leaving Ash to stare at her receding back. He watched her until she reached the door and disappeared. So much for classy.

Her departure was so abrupt, it is wasn't until she was gone that he realized he never got a chance to confront her over her words and actions at the cafe. What would he have done? Demand she apologize? From what little he knew of Candy, he figured she never would. Instead, he would have to content himself with the fact that both he and Misty had exacted their own version of payback.

When he turned around, he saw the others gathered at the exit. They cheered as he approached and soon he was enveloped in a whirlwind of handshakes, hugs and accolades. Teresa and Trisha reached him first, grabbing him in a double hug.

"That was amazing," Teresa said, letting him go to hop up and down in excitement. "I've never seen anything like it."

"I freaked out when Pikachu shocked Gyarados," Trisha added. "I thought the whole building was going to come down on us."

"Pika," Pikachu said from below.

Vicky and Carole both bowed down to scratch an ear. "You did great too," Vicky said.

Lisa and Brock approached him together. "That was a great battle," Brock said, grabbing his shoulder and giving him a friendly shake. "One of your better gym battles. I have to admit I was worried when Gyarados came out."

"I wasn't," Lisa said with a smile, giving Ash a quick hug.

"Yes you were," Brock said. "You practically broke my hand you were squeezing it so hard."

She swatted his arm. "Don't tell stories," she admonished.

Ash couldn't help but laugh at his friend. He knew they would need to talk once the excitement over the battle died down, but for now, he simply enjoyed the rush he always felt after a successful battle. There would be time later to talk about him and Misty.

As if on cue, she was there, standing in front of him. She wasn't wearing a dress or had her hair fixed in a special style. She was wearing one of her usual outfits and her hair was in its side ponytail. Still, he couldn't imagine how he had not seen before how beautiful she was. He had known her for more than three years and they had been together in their new relationship for less than a day, but he couldn't quite remember what it was like to not see her as he did now.

"Well, I guess that makes us two for two," he said with a smile.

She smiled back, but didn't answer. Her eyes were filled with a sudden uncertainty he wasn't used to seeing in her. Then it was gone, replaced by that new fire, his fire, only now it seemed to be blazing brighter than ever before.

She placed a hand on his shoulder and this time it was Misty who leaned forward, pulling him to her at the same time. At the last moment, she tilted her head slightly and their noses brushed each other. She continued forward and then he felt her lips on his.

This was different than the night before outside her room. This kiss was more powerful, more intense, more... There was indeed more, but he stopping thinking about it and simply let himself get lost in the sensations.

A few seconds later, or it may have been days, they broke apart. He stared into Misty's eyes and saw her staring back at him. There was no uncertainty there now, only satisfaction.

He was still looking at her when the catcalls and whistles started from the girls around them, Teresa and Trisha chief among them. Ash felt his cheeks warm as he was reminded that they had an audience.

"I told you," he heard Teresa say, triumph in her voice.

"Ok, ok," Trish replied.

Misty was blushing too now and he couldn't help but laugh at her expression.

"I think I may need to lie down," Brock said.

Ash stopped laughing and turned to his friend, who looked disoriented. Lisa took Brock's arm and gave it a squeeze. Ash met Brock's eyes for a moment before the older teen turned his attention to Misty, who was still standing close to him.

"When you said you would explain things after Ash's battle, I didn't think you meant like that," Brock said, his words sounding more like a whine than an accusation.

Once again, Misty looked sheepish. "Sorry, Brock. I didn't mean for it, but it just sort of happened."

Brock laughed at this. "Just sort of happened," he said ruefully. "You two have some serious explaining to do." He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not upset," he continued, beginning to sound more like himself. "It's just a lot to take in."

Still holding onto Brock, Lisa said, "Why don't we continue this outside? I don't really want to have Candy come back in here and kick us out."

"Good idea," Vicky said.

Ash felt Misty take his hand and he squeezed hers. He let the others lead the way and then, still holding Misty's hand, he followed them out through the entrance hall and back into the bright sunlight of the plaza.

They stopped under the same oak tree where they had met before the battle and were soon sitting under its shade in a rough circle. Pikachu bounded into the middle and began playing with Togepi, whom Misty set down in front of her on the grass. Despite the pokémons' antics, all eyes were on Ash and Misty.

"Spill the beans," Teresa said mischievously.

Ash looked to Misty, unsure of what to say. Fortunately, she took over the conversation, filling the others in on what had happened the night before at the party, judicially leaving out certain events. There was still much blushing on both their parts before Misty's story was complete. Ash paid particular attention to Brock's reactions as he was still not sure how his friend truly felt about their new relationship.

In the end, Brock was the first to speak. "Honestly, I had given up you two getting together."

"What?" Ash asked, once again hearing Misty echo him.

Brock simply laughed. "Come on, anyone who's spent more than a few hours around you two would have to be blind to not see the potential. Of course, you two were the blind leading the blind. Tracy and I talked about it after you guys returned from the Orange Islands. By the time we left for Johto, I figured if it was going to happen, it would have happened already, so you will have to forgive me if it the sight of you two locking lips was a shock to the system."

Ash was simultaneously embarrassed by Brock's description of their kiss and shocked by his friend's revelation. Was he the only one who hadn't seen it? Misty said she had thought about it occasionally. Now Brock was saying he and Tracy talked over a year ago, making it seem like they were discussing the weather. Was he really that blind? Apparently so, he decided. But like so many other things, there wasn't anything he could do about it now. Besides, it worked out, so maybe being blind wasn't so bad after all.

"I am happy for you guys," Brock said after a moment. "You are a good match for each other."

Ash felt warmed by his friend's words, both for his acceptance of their relationship and for his declaration that he and Misty were good for each other. He knew that, but it was still good to hear.

"You just need to work on controlling your tempers," Brock added.

"We'll work on that," Misty, squeezing Ash's hand again.

"Yeah, we will," Ash said, finding his voice at last.

Misty rose up to her knees and lean forward to give Brock a hug. "Thank you," she said.

When she sat back down, Ash felt compelled to do the same. Embracing his friend, he felt Brock slap him back a few times. "You're a good friend," Ash said. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Brock said. "You guys are my best friends. Of course I'm going to look out for you. I just want you to be happy."

Their conversation resumed and, to Ash's relief, soon shifted away from relationships. The others began asking him questions about his battle with Candy and he recounted the various strategies he utilized, being sure to give Misty credit for the inspiration behind his counter-attacks.

After some time, Lisa asked, "Do you guys have to leave right away?"

"Our parents are picking us up tomorrow," Trisha said. "We asked to stay over an extra night so we could see Ash's battle."

"Well, there's nothing saying we have to leave today," Ash said.

Brock gave him a surprised look. Usually, he was ready to trek to the next town as soon as he won a badge.

"What do you have in mind?" Misty asked.

"Well, first of all, I'm getting kind of hungry and I thought we could grab some lunch," Lisa said. "After that, I'm sure we can find something to do."

"What do you say?" Ash asked, looking at Misty.

"Sounds good to me," she said.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Lisa took them to the same cafe Ash had found Misty at two days before. At first, he was worried how she would react returning, but aside from an extra squeeze of his hand, she was fine. Part of him was glad they were able to make new and better memories at the place, especially since, in his mind, it was where they had made up, burying the damage from their earlier argument and setting the stage for everything that happened since.

They sat in the courtyard and the same waitress came out to take their orders. Ash couldn't help but smile when he saw her glance at Misty and him holding hands.

While waiting for the food, they exchanged contact numbers, the others making Ash promise to let them know when he made it to the Johto League Championships. Misty assured them she would make sure Ash didn't forget. Brock and Lisa also promised to keep in touch, and Ash again thought that they might work out as well.

They spent the rest of the day taking in the sights and sounds of Blossomful City, with the locals serving as tour guides for the newcomers. Later they went to a movie and Ash saw the "hunky" actor he had been hearing so much about for himself. As for the film, which was the latest romantic comedy, he felt it would be better to keep his opinion to himself.

Finally, it was time to say their goodbyes for real, and there were many hugs and perhaps a few tears shared among the new friends. Brock spent a few extra minutes with Lisa and then the trio made their way back to the pokémon center.

The next morning, Ash awoke and then he and Brock packed their belongings for the trip ahead. Misty met them in the cafeteria for breakfast and this time Ash was able to enjoy their time together without having to worry about secrets or upcoming battles.

Nurse Joy thanked them for the flowers as they left the center and they promised to say hello to her cousin whenever they reached their next destination. Once outside, instead of turning right, they turned left, retracing their steps from their first day in Blossomful City, Misty carrying Togepi and Pikachu trotting alongside them. Ash watched the buildings shrink and grow further apart as they left the city. Reaching the path, they turned off the main road and he could soon see the great forest before them.

"You know, it's probably a good thing I didn't come in first place in the pageant," Misty said, breaking what had been a comfortable silence between them.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"Well, I was talking to Lisa yesterday and she was telling me about all of the obligations she has now as the new Miss Blossomful. I would have had to come back here quite a few times over the next year and that would have messed up your plans to make the cut-off for the next championship."

"I would have made the time," Ash said.

"Easy to say that now," she said.

Ash stopped walking and she did as well. "I mean it," he continued. "I don't want you to ever feel you're just following me around. We're in this together, now more than ever. You've done so much to help me reach my dreams. I want to do the same for you."

Misty was quiet for several long moments. "Thank you Ash, but honestly, my dreams don't include riding in parades as a beauty queen. My dream is to be the best gym leader I can be."

"Well, if we're being honest, I can probably do more to help you with that than I can with parades," he said. She laughed and soon they were both laughing. What was once a crazy idea now felt natural, although when he gave her a quick kiss on the lips, he still felt the same thrill he had at the gym the day before.

"Alright, I still need some time to get used to that," Brock said.

Ash turned to see his friend walking back to them, having apparently noticed his two friends were no longer following him.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm not used to it yet either," he said.

Now all three broke into laughter, joined by Togepi and Pikachu for good measure.

After a few moments, Brock wiped a tear from his eye and said to Ash, "You have the map? We need to make sure of our route before we hit the forest."

"Yeah," Ash said, pulling the map from a side pocket in his pack. Looking at the folded paper for a second, he then handed it to his friend. "You figure it out. I think I've proven I'm not the best navigator."

Brock simply stared at him and Ash soon noticed Misty and Pikachu doing the same. "What?" he asked, but the question earned him no response. "Well, you did say we needed to work on our tempers." He turned to Misty. "This way, if we get lost, we can blame Brock and not get into a fight."

Misty laughed. "You've got a point there."

"Hey, it's no fair ganging up on me," Brock said.

"It's not ganging up on you," Ash replied. "Like I said, we're just following your advice. Don't worry, we have full faith in your abilities."

"Yeah Brock," Misty chimed in.

Brock eyed them dubiously but he turned his attention to the map, unfolding and then examining it for several moments. "Well, without our usual shortcuts, we should be in the next town by the day after tomorrow."

"I told you," Ash said. He turned to Misty. "Didn't I tell him?"

"Alright, alright, you made your point," Brock said, but he was smiling. He folded the map and placed it in his own pack. Then he turned and led the way, Ash and Misty following side by side, hand in hand.

Four days before, Ash had arrived in Blossomful City worried he had lost his best friend. Now, as he was leaving, he thought about all he gained instead and couldn't help but smile. He had been smiling a lot over the past couple of days. It felt good to smile. It felt even better to have a reason to smile. He knew his reason was right next to him, holding his hand and ready to tackle the next adventure, whatever it may be.

Ash and Misty shared a look. He saw the wide smile on her face and decided the best feeling of all was knowing you were the reason for someone else to smile. He squeezed her hand and together they walked after Brock, watching each other and the road ahead.

Just before they re-entered the forest, Ash took a moment to think on it all one last time. In his mind, he glanced over his shoulder at the river he had crossed. Somehow it didn't look as deep or fast flowing as it did from the other side. Perhaps that was because he knew there was no going back. Perhaps it was because he had no desire to go back. The landscape in front of him appeared foreign and it most likely held unseen dangers and pitfalls, but this too didn't seem as scary as it once did, because now he knew he wouldn't be facing it alone.


End file.
